The Real You
by Rory Maria
Summary: Sango's life changed drastically after tragedy struck her home town. While trying to heal her wounds, both physically and emotionally, she finds herself in a new city, and stumbles upon a womanizing monk (but not really) named Miroku. Could he, along with his friends Inuyasha and Kagome, be the key to saving Sango's younger brother? (Modern Day AU)
1. Chapter 1

Sango stepped off the train, her back muscles screaming in protest from the heavy backpack weighing down her shoulders. Sighing, she hurried her step, causing the luggage she was dragging behind her to bump and catch along the uneven pavement beneath it. She squinted slightly, and attempted to read her rushed handwriting on the piece of torn notebook paper that held directions to her new apartment. Suddenly, she wished she'd asked her new roommate, a girl named Kagome, to meet her at the train and show her the way to her new temporary home. Truth is, Sango had only been to the city once when she was little, and all she remembered was holding her father's hand while he lead her through the busy streets.

Taking a moment to reminisce, Sango found herself lost in memories of her old home - a small town deep in the mountains. Sure, their town had been secluded, but that made it better, or at least Sango felt that way. It meant that everyone was family; everywhere you turned there were open arms and smiles. She'd heard that many people found small towns suffocating and intrusive, everyone knew everyone's business and there was nowhere to go, but that wasn't how Sango had felt growing up at all. Everyone in her town was supportive and welcoming, like an extension of her own family, and the area they occupied was too open to ever feel trapped. In fact, right now, standing on the corner of a foreign street, with people buzzing around her and giving her dirty looks for stopping short, Sango felt more trapped than she ever had before.

Heaving another heavy sigh, the young woman squared her shoulders and crossed the street, walking towards her destiny. A wave of relief flooded through her as Sango realized the street signs started to match the names sprawled across the paper in her hand. She was almost to her new dwelling place. Once she was a few blocks away, she spotted a gym that seemed to register somewhere in her mind. Suddenly, she recalled a conversation she'd had with Kagome a couple of weeks prior.

" _Yes, I'm sure I have enough money saved to cover my half of the first month's rent, but after that, well…" Sango trailed off, holding in the anxious sigh that gathered in her lungs. Instead, she quickly followed with, "I'll have to look for a job as soon as I get to the city. I'm just not sure where I could apply…"_

" _I'm sure you'll find something! It's a big city, Sango, there must be something you can do. What are you good at?" Kagome replied, her tone as cheerful as always. Sango paused._

" _Well...I'm not sure," the older girl admitted. "Where I'm from, all we do is farm and study self defense. Two very opposite things, I know," Sango was quick to say, not wanting to hear the usual reaction of "Farm and self defense? Do you have to defend yourself from the cows?" It very well wasn't Sango's fault that, along with having to farm for the food they ate, her town was well known for weapon development and martial arts._

" _I don't think you'll find any farming jobs around here, but hey! There's a gym not too far from the apartment that just opened a dojo where they're teaching martial arts! I'm sure they could use some more instructors, you should try applying there first! Ugh," by the volume of Kagome's voice, Sango knew she pulled the phone away from her face, "Sota! Put that down or I'm taking you home right now!"_

Sango shook her head and found herself smiling at the memory. Following Kagome's advice, she quickly entered through the glass double doors and into the gym. Leaving her heavy luggage with the guard by the door, Sango wandered off to find a desk where she could apply for the instructor job.

"That's it, just like that," Miroku purred as he watched his current client doing squats from behind. It was just the right position to get the perfect view of her rear as she worked out. "Remember," he stepped forward as his client stood straight again, and pressed himself against her back, placing his hands on her flat stomach, "really feel it in your core as you're doing it, okay?" He smiled innocently, although his thoughts were anything but. From the way his client blushed, he assumed that their minds were on the same track.

He stepped away again, and allowed his client to finish up while his eyes wandered the gym, taking in all the other beauties around him. His eyes focused on the full glass windows at the front of the gym, or more importantly, what laid just beyond those windows. Standing in front of the gym had to be the most beautiful woman the monk had ever seen, and that was saying something; the young man had seen his fair share of beautiful women. Still, the one who had just entered the building caught his eye like none other, and he found himself desperate to speak to her. Clearing his throat, he focused his attention back to his client and said, "Good work today. You can finish up with a short jog on one of the treadmills if you would like. Otherwise, that's all I had planned for today. I'll see you next week!" With a smile and thank you, his client was off to find a free treadmill, and the personal trainer wasted no time walking towards the information desk.

With a pen in her hand and an application in front of her, Sango was shocked by how nice and helpful the workers at this gym were. Usually staff members at places like this were unenthusiastic and rude, but when Sango walked up and asked if they were looking to hire any more martial arts instructors, the woman behind the counter smiled widely and quickly thrusted an application her way. She frowned as she began to fill it out though, finding that she was lacking much of the needed information. And to her dismay, a male about her age had just posted himself right next to her. _Great,_ Sango thought, _here we go…_

Miroku casually leaned one arm against the countertop of the desk, and sighed happily, running a hand through his bangs that had fallen loose of his ponytail. Turning towards the striking woman to his right, he gave his best smile. "Hello there! My name is Miroku, I'm one of the personal trainers here. Are you signing up for a membership? If you are, I'd be more than happy to help you get settled into a workout routine that's best fit for you. You can just write my name down on the line for requested trainer."

"I'm sorry," Sango said, without looking up from the application. _Oh no,_ she thought in dismay. _Previous martial arts instructor name and place of work?_ She couldn't fit the explanation that she'd trained alongside everyone in her town, and that everyone was a teacher as well as a student, into just the two lines given on the application. Remembering that she was addressing the man next to her, she quickly finished, "I'm not signing up for a membership, I'm interested in the martial arts program."

"Ah, you've heard about the new dojo they opened up!" Miroku responded, not being discouraged by her seemingly lack of interest. They all started out like this, but then they would fall victim to his charm eventually. "I actually happen to be one of the instructors there myself. I could give you a few pointers now if you'd like." When the woman didn't seem to intend to answer him, Miroku stole a glance at her application to learn her name. Sango was the name neatly printed in the first box, and next to it the bubble in front of the word "instructor" was checked off. Oh. "Oh, forgive me. I seem to have underestimated your skill. Where have you worked previously? And where did you study? Maybe I know your old teacher."

Sango couldn't help but snort at that, and Miroku smiled fondly; finally, he was getting somewhere with her. Considering that most of her application was blank and there was no way of getting her two letters of recommendation that were required according to the print at the bottom of the application, Sango made the split decision to see if this man could be useful to her after all. "Actually," she began hesitantly, "I come from a small town in the mountains a few miles away from here. Self defense was something our family has been practicing for generations...I sort of grew up with it. I never went somewhere outside of home to learn, and I've never worked as an instructor before, except to teach the younger kids in my town. And my little brother…" Sango had said too much, and quickly stopped herself and the negative memories that threatened to fill her mind. She heard the woman behind the counter sigh.

"Oh, so you aren't certified? You might as well throw your application away, then," the woman sounded as disappointed and heartbroken as Sango felt. But then again, she kind of knew that this would happen. Her shoulders slumped as she turned away, but the man next to her placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait a minute. You must be very good at this art if you grew up with it. You probably know it better than the instructors we have now. Give me your application, I'll look it over and arrange for an interview where you can show me what you know. If you prove to be fit to teach then you've got the job," Miroku said seriously, finishing with an assuring smile. He'd noticed that the woman had entered the gym with a rather large luggage, too big to be carrying school or business things, and she was also carrying a bag on her back. For her to even be applying for this job knowing that she lacked so much of the required information, Miroku could only assume that she really needed the income. She was probably new to the city, since she'd spoken of her home town being so far away. The monk didn't have the heart to turn her away, at least not before she could prove herself to be unworthy of the job.

Sango's eyes lit up. "Really? You'd do that for me? Thank you!" she quipped quickly before he could change his mind. "Thank you so much! Oh, how rude of me. I'm Sango," she introduced herself politely to him now that she realized she needed him. When she thought he was just some gym bozo who was trying to get her number, Sango had tried to avoid giving him her name. Now she found herself sticking out her right hand for him to shake, and noticed that the hand that met hers was covered in an odd purple sleeve that covered about half of his forearm. There were also beads wrapped around the dark material. Sango noted that it must be very uncomfortable to work out while wearing that, but forced herself not to stare or think about it while the man was in front of her. She couldn't afford to lose this job. Literally.

"Sango, I look forward to your interview," he smiled at her and pulled his hand away. He noticed that she'd looked at his covered hand, but politely met his eyes again as quickly as her gaze fell. He appreciated that. Not many people had the decency to pretend they didn't notice it. He hated having to explain to people what he himself didn't understand. And the lie he usually gave people was starting to make him feel heavy.

The monk felt his smile grow as Sango excused herself and left the gym in slightly better spirits than she had entered it in. Something about this girl was different, and Miroku hoped that he would get the chance to figure it out. Taking a quick glance at her application, he saw that she had marked "weapons" as her specialty. He wondered what that would include, and shook his head hard to keep the dirty images of what Sango could do with weapons out of his head. Turning to the pretty woman behind the counter, Miroku flashed one of his devilish grins. "So, when does your shift end?"

With a little more pep in her step, Sango quickly walked the rest of the short way to her new apartment. She easily lifted her over packed luggage up the many flights of stairs before finally setting it down in front of the door that would soon become familiar to her. Her hands shook slightly as she pulled out her newly made key, and she took a deep breath before closing her eyes. _It's okay,_ she told herself. _You'll only be here for a little while. You don't have to become close with Kagome. No one has to know about your past. You won't lose anyone else…_

Opening her eyes, Sango noded to herself and pushed the key into the lock, turning it slowly before pushing the door open. She blinked when she saw Kagome standing on the other side of the door with her hands folded together by her face, smiling widely. "Hello!" she chirped happily, leaning forward to grab Sango's luggage and drag it inside. "Here, let me help you!"

"Oh...Thank you," Sango replied quietly, hesitantly walking into the apartment. She noticed that there was a nice smell coming from the kitchen, and that the table was already set for two. Did Kagome have company? Maybe she was being nice so that she could tell Sango that she wanted the apartment to herself tonight.

Noticing her gaze was lingering on the table, Kagome quickly explained, "Oh, I thought you might be hungry after your travels, so I made us dinner. It's okay if you're not up to eat yet though! I can put your portion away for later if you'd rather get settled first." The younger girl finished with her signature smile, and clasped her hands together behind her back. Sango just blinked again, the kindness taking her by surprise.

"Thank you, Kagome. I'm starving, I'll pay you back for the food right away," Sango promised, realizing as she said it that her stomach really was empty. She hadn't been eating well these past few weeks, and the food Kagome had made smelled amazing. The older girl moved towards the kitchen while Kagome waved a hand in her direction.

"Don't worry about it! Take it as a welcoming gift," Kagome smiled again before busying herself with bringing out the food. It was silent for a moment before Kagome asked her how her traveling went.

"Pretty well. The train ride wasn't as awful as I thought it would be," she smiled, and Kagome giggled in agreement. Suddenly remembering the gym, Sango went on to say, "Oh! I passed the gym you told me about. I went in to apply, and I thought they would turn me away really quickly, but a man that works there offered me an interview. Since I can't give them a reference from where I learned martial arts, he said he's going to observe my skills and see if I'm fit to be an instructor."

"Are you nervous about that? I mean one guy's opinion could make or break you," Kagome commented, scooping some rice into Sango's bowl. Sango found herself smirking when she shook her head.

"Not really. I've been training and teaching my entire life. I think I'm probably better than he is, to be quite honest."

"Hmmm," Kagome said, finally sitting down after serving the food. "What did you say the man looked like?" she asked, picking up her chopsticks.

"I didn't," Sango said, beginning to eat. While she chewed she considered the man's appearance. "He was about my age. Dark hair tied into a ponytail, pierced ears, fairly tall - oh! He wore a strange glove on his right hand. I didn't make a comment about it though, I didn't want to seem rude."

Kagome nodded her head with a knowing smile, and Sango couldn't help but narrow her eyes. "I knew it," Kagome laughed to herself while she chewed. "So you've met Miroku."

"That's what he said his name was!" Sango said, mostly to herself as her fist pounded lightly on her thigh. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten! Well, I mean he had said his name when she thought he was just trying to womanize, it's not her fault she wasn't paying complete attention. "So, how do you know him?" Sango couldn't help but question. She wondered if maybe they were dating. Somehow that image just didn't seem right.

Just then there was a knock on the door, and a gruff male voice shouted Kagome's name. Sighing with a smile on her face, the younger female said, "That's Inuyasha. I wondered how long it would take for you two to meet - I have to admit though, I didn't count on you meeting Miroku first." Kagome laughed to herself as she stood up to answer the door.

 _Inuyasha?_ Sango thought. _What an odd name._ She stood with her new roommate and walked towards the door a few steps behind her. When the door opened, there stood a boy around Kagome's age with long silver hair tied into a ponytail. A few strands on either side of his head were let loose, though, and covered his ears. He wore a red tshirt and dark blue jeans. Sango noted that his feet were bare as he stood in the hall.

"Kagome," he barked, crossing his arms in anger, "Will you please tell Miroku that Shippo is NOT staying with us when he comes to visit? We already agreed that he'd stay with you!"

Suddenly, by his side was the raven haired man Sango had just previously met, except he adorned a new expression. Rolling his eyes, Miroku leaned against the doorway like the action was one familiar to him. "I was just saying that maybe it was a better idea that Shippo stay with us! Kagome is getting a new roommate and it might be wise that he - oh," Miroku broke off, eyes landing on Sango, "why, hello again. What a pleasant surprise. Sango, was it? How you are a sight for sore eyes." The monk had moved away from the door and was now standing in front of Sango, holding her hands in both of his. He smiled as she stiffened and blushed softly.

"Who the hell is Sango?" the silver haired male said, his tone clearly annoyed. Kagome sighed, and for the first time, Sango noticed that her expression wasn't happy.

"This is Sango, my new roommate? I only mentioned her about a hundred times in the past couple of weeks, really, do either of you boys ever listen to me?" Kagome's fists her were balled at her sides, and Sango watched as both boys' expressions turned to slight discomfort, edging on fear. Sango herself had to admit that Kagome did seem a little scary when she was angry.

"Sorry, Kagome, I guess I was so excited about a new girl living across the hall, I failed to remember all the details," Miroku said, a small smile on his face as he released Sango's hands to scratch the back of his head. His friend snorted.

"I remembered your roommate's name, alright, I just didn't think this could be her since it seems like Miroku already knows her," the one who must be Inuyasha said, and Sango watched as Miroku lit up.

"Ah yes! Sango and I just met at the gym earlier this evening," he explained, and Inuyasha scoffed.

"So you're following them home now, huh? That's a new one for ya, monk, I'll give ya that."

"Monk?" Sango couldn't help but question, and Miroku frowned as he turned his head between the two of them. "You're a monk? I thought you were a trainer...and a martial arts instructor?"

"I didn't follow her home, I had no idea she was Kagome's new roommate! And we live right across the hall, dumbass," the dark haired man said in Inuyasha's direction. When he turned to Sango, he voice was only slightly less annoyed. "And yes, I am a monk. Well, not really."

"Good," Sango said before he could say any more. "I don't think a monk should behave towards women the way you do." Inuyasha outwardly laughed before Kagome slapped his arm to tell him to stop. Although she herself was holding in giggles after looking at Miroku's shocked face.

"My dear Sango, what ever do you mean?"

"Oh please," the girl rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her hip. "Save it. I saw how you were working with your client today, and don't think I didn't hear you ask out the woman behind the desk! Face it, Miroku, you're a womanizer."

Kagome didn't even try to stop Inuyasha's laughter while they both looked at Miroku's defeated face. For some reason, Kagome felt proud of her new roommate. Every other girl had immediately fallen for Miroku's tricks, and he'd used them for whatever he wanted. She had to admit to herself that she was worried about how Sango would fair with Miroku, but she was happy to see that the older girl seemed to be the only woman who Miroku couldn't conquer.

"You've got me all wrong, Sango, I'm much more than that!" the monk tried to defend himself, but he was answered with another eyeroll.

"Uh huh, I'm sure. Anyway, it was nice meeting you Inuyasha, but I think I'm going to get back to my dinner. If you'll all excuse me," Sango said, just trying to get out of the room. She couldn't believe she had said all of that to Miroku! Especially after he was already doing her such a huge favor. She didn't know what came over her, something about the way he easily grabbed her hands, like it was a move he'd done a million times before; he didn't even really see her there, he just inserted the name of whatever pretty girl was in front of him and said his magic lines and what? Expected her to fall for it? No way! What gave him the right to just play with her emotions like that? Yeah right, like she would ever fall for a guy like that. Still…

She was really embarrassed and glad to be alone in the kitchen with her food. She didn't want to consider the fact that Miroku might cancel her interview because of her disrespectful outburst. All she wanted to do was eat the delicious food that Kagome had made.

"Dinner? Is that Kagome's cooking I smell?" Miroku asked before Sango could leave the room. His voice seemed hopeful and Sango cursed to herself. Oh god, please no.

"I thought you two might come over tonight," Kagome sighed, but Sango heard the ever present smile in her voice. "I made enough for all of us, and don't worry Inuyasha, it's nothing spicy."

"Good," Inuyasha said, walking past a distressed Sango towards the kitchen. "I don't know how you people eat that stuff. It feels like my tongue is going to fall off!"

"Oh come now, Inuyasha," Miroku said, walking next to Sango as she silently made her way to the kitchen after the silver haired male. "Don't be such a baby. For a man that can take multiple bullet wounds, you'd think your one weakness wouldn't be curry…"

If that statement didn't spark a million questions in Sango's head, nothing could. However, the girl kept her questions to herself, fearing that her mouth had gotten her in enough trouble tonight. Miroku sat down next to her, and he and Inuyasha filled the dinner conversation without noticing how quiet she had become. Kagome, on the other hand, noticed that Sango hadn't said much since they started eating, and kept glancing at her throughout the meal. She didn't want to pry, especially in front of the two males, and she figured Sango must just be tired from her travels, so she let it go.

After dinner, Sango offered to clean the dishes. She said it was the least she could do since Kagome had prepared the meal all by herself. Before he left, Inuyasha stopped by the kitchen to say goodbye to Sango. "It was nice to meet you, especially since I've known Miroku for years now, and you're the first girl to ever reject him," he told her, and she started blushing, wishing she could go back in time and keep her mouth shut. At that moment Miroku walked in and roughly slapped his hand down on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Ha ha, very funny," he said, turning to give Sango a very genuine smile. He noticed she was blushing pretty hard, and only smiled wider. "It was nice to see you again, Sango, I'll stop by sometime this week to set up a date for your interview."

Sango was shocked that he was still giving her a chance, so all she could do was nod her head, her mouth slightly hung open in shock. He smiled again and both men left the apartment together. Kagome walked in not long after that to help Sango dry the dishes, and then said goodnight. Finally alone, Sango sighed in relief, feeling like she could breathe again. Today had been long, and quite eventful to say the least. She dragged her luggage into her new room, and dumped her backpack next to it. Kagome had already put clean sheets on the bed, and Sango gratefully stripped down to her underwear, too tired to search in her bags for pajamas, and collapsed onto the mattress. Sooner than sleep had found her in weeks, Sango was passed out snoring, comfortably snuggled under the sheets.


	2. Chapter 2

A week after she moved in, Sango was walking into the small dojo attached to the gym to meet with Miroku. It was currently seven in the morning, the only time that they were both free. Miroku took classes at the local university during the week on top of working every evening, and Sango herself became busy with getting settled into her new home; it proved to be a bigger struggle than she had originally thought. Nevertheless, here they were, together in the completely empty dojo. Sango didn't know what she expected her interview to be like, but she somehow had expected more people to be around.

"Are you the only person I have to impress?" Sango asked, eyes still lingering around the empty space. She was glad that she had opted for casual workout clothes - spandex shorts and a loose tshirt - rather than her battle gear. She had debated on what to wear since it was, after all, a job interview, but also something that would require easy physical movement. In her mind, Sango expected to be showing her martial arts skills to Miroku and as well as the other instructors. She hadn't considered that it might be just the two of them. If she'd worn her battle suit she really would have been over dressed, and probably a little embarrassed.

Miroku stood by the entrance of the dojo, and leaned back against the wall while he watched Sango. He pushed thoughts of what she could do to "impress him" out of his mind and smiled. "Seems that way. I was the one who really pushed for this to be built, I guess you could say I'm the head instructor here. My opinion is the only one that really matters."

"You pushed for this to be built?" Sango swirled around to focus her attention on her companion. Her eyebrows had originally shot upward in shock but now pulled down in confusion. "Why is that? Is this something you're passionate about?" Deep down, Sango wondered if maybe she shared something in common with Miroku; she tried not to question why she wanted that to be true.

Nodding, the dark haired man lifted a staff from the pile that leaned against the wall next to him. "It was something that the monks who raised me insisted that I learned growing up. Self defense was something that held value to them - to us, I suppose." Miroku didn't look at Sango as he spoke, but she watched his expression change into something she'd never seen before. He'd visited with her and Kagome every day that week, but she'd never seen him act like this, so serious and so...sad?

"You were raised by monks?" Sango prodded quietly, unsure if she was asking too much. She herself wasn't one to spill her backstory to just anyone, so she would understand if he refused to delve deeper into the topic. However, Miroku simply smiled sadly and continued to look at the staff.

"You never asked about my hand," he commented, surprising Sango with how random it seemed.

"What?" she asked, her expression becoming more confused as Miroku laughed quietly, the noise seeming to come more from fondness than joy. He finally looked up at her, placing the staff at his side and casually leaning against it.

"You're the only person who has gone this long without asking me why I wear this on my hand," Miroku clarified, raising his right hand and waving it in the air. Sango looked away out of politeness, but the monk just shook his head. "No, it's okay. Honestly, I'm used to people asking by now. Just so you know, it's not some weird fashion statement. Okay, you were supposed to laugh at that," he commented when the woman he was with stayed silent, and gave a genuine laugh himself at how awkward the situation had become. Sango smiled politely at him.

"I just don't want to make you uncomfortable at all. I don't really care if you have something different about your right hand, it hasn't stopped you from being kind to me, and it's not something that would make me think of you differently," the woman explained, shrugging her shoulders and rubbing her arms nervously. Emotional talks weren't something she found herself good at lately. She'd felt bad every time she shut down Kagome when she'd asked Sango what's been bothering her. It's not that she likes to just shut people down, it's just that after all that has happened recently with her brother and family, she doesn't know how to let people in anymore.

"I'm not uncomfortable. Like I said, I'm used to it. Plus, if we're going to be spending a lot of time together, I think you should know. It'll keep you from having to wonder about it, which I know you must be," Miroku told her, and only smiled as Sango blushed, realizing she had wondered quite a bit actually. Sighing, the monk slowly opened the material that covered his hand, and Sango really couldn't stop the gasp that left her mouth upon seeing what it covered. There was a small hole in the center of Miroku's palm, as if the flesh and bone had just disappeared from that spot.

Miroku was actually relieved at the response he got from Sango. Most people reacted much more harshly, or even became ill from the sight, and would dive into several questions. However, Sango just gasped more in wonder than disgust, and waited for Miroku to continue, which he did. "I have a flesh eating disease. It's not contagious at all, it's actually a genetic disorder only found in the males in my family. Doctors and scientists worldwide have been studying it, but none of them can find answers."

"Wow," Sango murmured, walking closer to get a better look at Miroku's hand. She could see how scientists would be stumped, it looked more like special effects or a magic trick rather than a real hand. Her eyes didn't leave his hand as she asked, "It is deadly?"

"I'm afraid so," Miroku conceded, holding in the sigh that always left him when he spoke of this. He didn't want to discourage Sango when this was the most serious conversation they'd had since they'd met. "My father died from it when I was very young, which is why I was raised by monks, as I mentioned earlier. The disease slowly spreads until it consumes the entire body. The more strain I put on my hand the faster it'll spread."

"Does it hurt," Sango's voice was soft as she asked, her eyes wide as they looked into his. Miroku's breath caught in his throat from how intense her gaze was.

"Only if I use my right hand too often," he said with the most innocent intention, yet Sango blushed deeply and looked away, and Miroku almost felt proud that her mind could be that dirty. Letting the opportunity pass, he continued on explaining. "The monks who raised me spoke of records that say a young boy grew up in the shine I did, many years ago. An ancestor of mine, to be exact. The story is that a curse was placed on his grandfather by a demon, and that every male in our family would suffer this fate until the demon was defeated. So the monks gave me these beads to wear to help conceal the curse. Of course, I don't believe in all of that, but the beads do help with the pain when it arises. I assume the beads just help to massage the sore muscles," Miroku finished explaining, covering his hand back up and wrapping the beads tightly over the material. Sango seemed lost in thought when Miroku looked back at her. He was just about to ask her if she was okay when she spoke.

"I grew up hearing stories about demons too," Sango confessed, somehow feeling like she had to offer something of her past since Miroku had told her so much of his. "My father told me a story about how our ancestors were demon slayers, that's why our town still practices martial arts so devoutly. It's part of who we are, apparently. I don't believe it either though, I think it's much more plausible that my ancestors were soldiers than demon slayers."

"Either way, why don't you show me what you've got?" Miroku said and straightened his posture. Sango seemed confused as she looked at him.

"Huh?"

Miroku only laughed. Her facial expressions were really cute. "Your resume said you specialized in weapons. I'm not sure what you're used to, but let's see how well you do with a staff. I'm pretty good with one myself," he bragged, handing the staff in his hand to the woman next to him. Sango blushed. _Of course,_ she thought, taking the staff, _the interview._

Without waiting for his signal, Sango immediately began to show off her skills, fighting off an imaginary opponent with the staff, as well as throwing in a few intricate moves involving kicks and jumps. She wasn't even out of breath once she circled around the entire dojo. Miroku had to admit he was impressed with her form, and the level of skill she had to pull off some of those attacks. However, he wanted to push her even more. Grabbing a staff for himself, Miroku said, "That was impressive, Sango. Now, let's see how well you do in actual hand to hand combat." The grin that crossed Sango's face wasn't missed by the monk who had been watching her every move.

"I thought you would never ask," Sango replied as she lunged forward, thrusting her staff towards to monk. The dojo was filled with grunts and the clanking of their staffs meeting time and time again as they sparred. For the first time in a long time Sango actually felt herself being challenged by her opponent, and she was enjoying the fight. She hadn't had a friendly spar in too long now.

Feeling herself becoming tired, Sango figured it was time to end the fight. With practiced ease, she jumped into the air in front of Miroku and, holding the staff horizontally, brought the wooden stick down behind Miroku, holding it at just about his shoulder blades. Pulling it forward, their bodies collided and Sango pinned Miroku's upper body against hers, rendering his arms useless while she used her grip on the staff to help lift her legs up. She hooked her legs around his hips, and kicked the monk's knees in from behind, making the man fall to the ground, with her on top. Putting her weight on her knees, Sango sat hovering just above Miroku's waist as they locked eyes, chests rising and falling as they panted for breath. They'd been sparring for awhile now, and both of them were feeling a bit flushed.

Finally catching his breath, Miroku sat up slowly and Sango quickly crawled off of him and stood, helping him up as well. When she looked at his face, he was smiling. "Well, Sango, you've got the job. I'll stop by the apartment later tonight to bring you paperwork and set up a schedule."

Blushing, Sango bowed her head in gratefulness and gave a quiet, "Thank you."

"I've got to get cleaned up before class," Miroku said, backing away towards the door as he spoke, a smile still on his face as he looked at the blushing woman before him. He didn't want to ever stop looking at her, but he was crossing the doorway now, so regrettably he called out, "I'll see you tonight!" before running out the door. He checked the watch on his wrist. Shit, that had taken much longer than he expected; he'd be lucky if he was just five minutes late to class. An hour later when he walked into the lecture hall twenty minutes late, Miroku still had a smile on his face. Being with Sango was completely worth the part of the lecture he missed, even if he did have an important exam the next class.

Back at her apartment, Sango couldn't wait for Kagome to get home so she could tell her the good news. She had a job. She had a home. She had a way of getting back to Kohaku. _Just hang in there, please,_ Sango thought, _I'm coming._

Later that night, after dropping off paperwork and coming up with a schedule that worked for Sango, Miroku walked back into his apartment and threw himself down onto one of the kitchen chairs. He was absolutely exhausted, and somehow still feeling happy. What was it about that woman that made him feel this way?

Inuyasha walked into the kitchen from the hallway that led to their bedrooms. His silver hair was down now, exposing his dog ears, which twitched with freedom after being covered all day. Miroku felt a twinge of some feeling tug at his heart. He'd grown up with Inuyasha at the shine, neither of them having parents. He'd known about Inuyasha's true identity his entire life, and he'd also known that he had to keep it a secret from everyone else. Only he and the monks who raised him knew of Inuyasha's secret. Well, that was before they met Kagome. But still, it wasn't an easy life to live.

"What's got that dumb smile on your face? I haven't seen a girl around the apartment, that means you can't have gotten laid. So what gives?" Inuyasha asked, opening a bag of chips and beginning to stuff his face. Miroku just stared at his childhood best friend with a blank expression and sighed. Sometimes, he thought Inuyasha was hopeless. But those were only the times he wasn't around Kagome.

"It's just…" Miroku trailed off and felt himself smiling harder as he thought of his new neighbor across the hall. "It's Sango. I can't get her off my mind, I've never felt this way before."

"Never been this excited to bone a girl, huh?" Inuyasha asked around a mouth full of chips. He stuck a crumb filled finger in Miroku's direction. "Just watch yourself, monk. Remember that she's living with Kagome, and if you make things awkward at all Kagome will kick your-"

"But that's just it!" Miroku interrupted, his smile wider now as he animatedly leaned across the table in the direction of his friend, who stood behind the kitchen counter. "I don't just want to bed her. In fact, I haven't even been thinking of that. Well, not much anyway. Instead I can't stop thinking about her smile, or her blush, or what her favorite food must be, or where she would want to go on a first date. What's happened to me, Inuyasha?" The monk almost sounded fearful as he questioned his best friend, who only shrugged.

"Beats the hell out of me. But hey, did you find out any more about where she's from?" Inuyasha asked, and Miroku sighed, nodding his head. He had been dreading this conversation, for several reasons. The main one being that he didn't want a reason not to trust the only girl he'd ever had potential feelings for. Pressure started to build in his head, and he tried to ignore the pulsing coming from his right hand.

"It seems like our suspicions were right, Inuyasha. Sango is indeed from the demon slayer village, the one the monks told us about growing up," Miroku said, rubbing at his temples. Somehow he felt like everything was turning into a puzzle, and pieces were slowly falling into place. First they met Kagome, and in turn Shippo, then the pain in his hand started happening, and now a descendant of a demon slayer was among them. Something was happening, but Miroku wasn't sure what.

"So? Do you think we should do something about it? Do you think Kagome is in danger?" Inuyasha asked, his voice and stance casual, but his ear twitched again, no doubt listening for any sign of distress from the apartment across the hall. The monk shook his head.

"No, on the contrary, in fact. I believe Sango is the one in danger." Miroku sighed when his friend gave him a confused look. "The demon slayer village is centered around family, community, belonging. Every person in the village is important - at least that's how it was explained to us growing up, right? By the fond expression Sango has when she speaks of her home, I can't imagine it's much different now. So why, at such a young age, would Sango leave home? She's not living with family, or going to school, and she was desperate to find any job she could. She's got to be running from something Inuyasha. Something isn't right here."

"You make a lot of sense, monk," Inuyasha commented, nodding his head. He finished his bag of chips and proceeded to ball it up in his hand. When he threw it out, he caught sight of his friend's worried expression and stopped. "Listen, it's going to work out. Don't think too hard, just do what you're good at and be a waste of space alright? Hey!"

The half dog demon laughed when his best friend stood up and gripped him in a headlock. The boys playfully fought, resembling two puppies, for a few moments before deciding to go to bed. Miroku was thankful that he could always count on his best friend to have his back. The pressure in his head left once he confided in Inuyasha, and he was able to fall asleep as he usually did. Except tonight he couldn't keep the thoughts of a certain beautiful dark haired woman out of his dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks had passed, and Sango found herself settled into a nice schedule. She worked every day at the dojo, most times alongside Miroku, who Sango noticed had become a lot less flirtatious with his personal clients at the gym. For the most part he gave good instruction while teaching at the dojo as well, but every now and then Sango would catch him with his hands on a woman during one of their martial arts classes, teaching them the correct "fighting stance". When the monk would feel her eyes on him, he would just look up and give an embarrassed smile. Sango would simply send him a death glare and turn away. Of course, if anyone asked her about it she would tell them she just didn't care for his work ethic, it's not like she was jealous or anything like that.

She'd also met the only other instructor they had, a man by the name of Koga. At first Sango had found the blue eyed male arrogant and rude, but she changed her mind about him when she'd arrived back at the dojo early from her break and got to watch him finishing his afternoon class. The dojo was filled with small children, and Sango couldn't help but smile at how encouraging he was to them, even though they were too young to perfect the movements yet. Two assistant instructors were always at his side, though they didn't do much but allow Koga to demonstrate on them. They also helped to pacify any frustrated child.

Along with working, Sango started to get used to her domestic schedule as well. She and Kagome would take turns with who would cook dinner, and most days Inuyasha and Miroku would stop by to eat with them, and usually stayed until late into the evening. Sango felt herself quickly becoming attached to the group, they'd welcomed her instantly and never made her feel like "the new girl". As happy as that made her, it also scared her to death, because everyone she'd become close with had been taken from her. She didn't want to put anyone else in danger.

"You okay, Sango?" Inuyasha asked, watching the girl Miroku was obsessed with zone out several times during their usual friday night dinner. Friday Night Dinner consisted of what Kagome's mother liked to call Lazy Food: packs of Ramen and Cup Noodles. They also had sides of chips and sweets. Basically, it was the end of the week, and neither Kagome or Sango felt like making actual food.

"Huh? Oh yes, I'm fine," Sango struggled to say, looking up at Inuyasha. His silver hair was down now, except for the portions on either side of his head that were pulled back and knotted into a braid down the back of his head. Sango had to admit on any other man the hair style would have looked funny, but Inuyasha some how made it seem cool. He was dressed in all black today - black tshirt, black jeans - and as usual was lacking shoes. His eyes were wide with concern as he looked back at her, and Sango swallowed. "I guess I just had a tiring week."

"Hm," Inuyasha nodded, sharing a glance with Miroku that Sango didn't notice. Kagome was quick to change the subject, knowing her roommate wouldn't want to talk any more than that.

"So, do we know what day Shippo is coming?" the younger girl asked before taking a sip of her water. Miroku answered her, his eyes not leaving Sango for a moment.

"Uh, yes. He'll be arriving tomorrow, probably in the afternoon. We're settled on his sleeping arrangements, right?" he asked, not wanting to hear Inuyasha complain anymore. The young demon and the half demon butted heads on everything, and Miroku would rather sleep in the hallway than share a living space with those two.

"Mhm, Sango said she didn't mind if we had a friend stay with us, right Sango?" Kagome asked, her cheerful tone never absent when she spoke to her roommate, who nodded in agreement.

"Of course I don't mind, Kagome. He's your friend, if you want him to stay here, I have no problem with it," Sango replied, finishing what was left of her water. She pushed her bowl of ramen away from her, giving a stuffed groan. "Ugh, I think we may have overdone it, guys. I can't eat another bite, and I still have an entire bowl of ramen left."

Inuyasha's ears perked up so fast that they almost poked through the hair that was tied back to hold them down. "I-I'll finish it for you, if you want," he offered, a bit shyly as his stomach growled. When it came to ramen, the half demon always had room to scarf it down. Miroku joked that his stomach was a bottomless pit when the quick make noodles were involved, and Inuyasha couldn't really tell him that he was wrong.

"Go for it," Sango giggled as she pushed her bowl across the table towards the happy male, and Miroku's stomach tightened at the sound. Sango was rarely as relaxed as she was now, and Miroku yearned to be the one to make her anxieties go away. A woman as amazing as her deserved to be happy. Realizing he was staring, the monk quickly looked down and busied himself with adjusting the beads on his hand. The pain was starting to come back.

" _The curse is being awakened," the overweight monk sighed, shaking his head. "I feared this would happen."_

" _But what can I do?" Miroku asked, feeling his annoyance build as the drunk monk gave vague answers. Glassy eyes met his, and Miroku felt a cold shock go through him._

" _There is nothing that can be done now."_

"Hey monk! What's the matter with you? We've been trying to get your attention here," Inuyasha called, a few noodles hanging out from his mouth. Miroku shook his head, clenching his right hand into a fist.

"I'm just tired, I suppose," the monk mumbled, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Sango wanted to reach out to him, but kept her distance. She didn't know him that well, he'd probably rather have Inuyasha or Kagome comfort him. Sighing, Inuyasha stood after slurping the last few noodles into his mouth.

"Alright, I think this is our cue to go. Come on, Miroku, don't want you falling asleep on Kagome's table," the half demon said, walking around the table to drag his friend away by the back of his shirt. "See ya tomorrow, Kagome," Inuyasha called as he opened the door. "Night Sango."

Miroku gratefully allowed his friend to drag him away, calling his goodnight to both Kagome and Sango, who gave the boys generic goodbyes before clearing the table and making their way out of the kitchen.

"What do you think was on Miroku's mind?" Kagome asked as the girls walked towards their rooms. Sango was surprised that Kagome was even asking her opinion, since the younger girl knew him much better. Still, Sango thought it over before giving an answer.

"I know his hand has been bothering him, I think the pain is getting worse," she said, her voice quiet with the thoughts running through her mind.

" _Is it deadly?"_

" _I'm afraid so."_

"You're right," Kagome sighed, pulling Sango out of her negative state of mind. The smile returned to her roommate's face as quickly as it left. "Oh well! Knowing Miroku, he'll outlive all of us."

Somehow, the words comforted Sango more than anything had in months. She smiled back at her friend as they said goodnight and made their way to their own rooms. After changing into sleeping clothes, the older girl found herself free of her usual nightmares, even if it was just for one night.

The next morning Sango woke up at dawn. Saturdays were her days off, and Kagome didn't attend classes on Saturdays either. They usually spent the day together lounging around their apartment before hanging out with the boys across the hall. Today was different though, Sango didn't feel her usual lazy self. The air around her prickled with tension that she couldn't find the source to, so she just gave up on sleep and took a shower, getting ready for the day. She was surprised to find Inuyasha and Kagome ready and in the kitchen when she walked out of her room at eight am.

The two stared at Sango in surprised for a moment before Kagome broke into a smile. "Oh, Sango, good morning," she said happily after she got over her shock. She didn't think she'd see Sango until the late afternoon. "What has you up so early?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Sango replied, taking a seat on one of the kitchen chairs. Shrugging her shoulders, she responded, "I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I decided to just get up. I didn't expect you two to be up yet, though."

Inuyasha continued to look at her with a confused expression. "Didn't you know? Kagome and I have breakfast with her family at least once a month. That's where we're headed now," he informed the brunette sitting in front of him as he straightened himself from leaning against their counter. Sango noticed that for the first time ever he had shoes on, well, if flip flops counted as shoes. He seemed to dress sharper than usual, too; his dark blue jeans were wrinkle free and more fitted to his body, and on top of his plain white cotton tshirt he wore an opened black button up, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Sango smiled. She had a feeling there was something going on between Inuyasha and Kagome, but by the way he was dressing nicer to see her family, he might as well have confirmed it.

Shaking her head, Sango said, "I didn't know that, but I think that's nice. Does Miroku not usually join you?"

This time Kagome answered. "Sometimes he does, but today he's decided to sleep in. You're welcome to join us if you would like! My mother has been dying to meet you." Sango watched as Kagome smiled so hard her eyes shut into little crescent shapes and she knew she couldn't refuse. Plus, she was pretty hungry, despite eating so much the night before, and she did miss being around family vibes…

"Well, if you're sure I'm not imposing, I wouldn't mind not having to cook," Sango agree, smiling a little. Inuyasha smirked at that remark, knowing that Mrs. Higurashi loved to cook, especially for Kagome's friends. Clapping her hands together, the younger of the two girls gave an excited noise.

"Awesome! Let's go then, my mom must be waiting," Kagome said, excitedly grabbing Inuyasha's hand to lead him to the door. Sango followed close behind, and only heard Kagome's surprised gasp once she closed the door behind herself. Looking up, she saw a shirtless Miroku standing in his doorway with a young, pretty girl. Sango recognized her from one of their classes, except instead of her usual workout clothes, the girl now had one a very thin, very revealing dress. It was much too fancy to be wearing at this time, so Sango could only assume she had worn it the night before. Which would only mean…

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Miroku! I'll see you tomorrow for our next class," the girl grinned, bowing slightly before walking off. As the girl walked away, Miroku turned his attention from her to Sango, and his eyes widened. Her cheeks had turned a light shade of red and she was leaned back against her door, her hand still clutching the doorknob like she wished to turn it and hid inside her apartment forever.

"Sango, wait, it's not what it -" Miroku tried to explain, but as quickly as Sango's facade faltered, it was right back up again. Straightening herself in a snap, Sango looked away from the shirtless man across from her.

"You have nothing to explain to me," she interrupted him before walking away calmly. Too calmly, Kagome thought as she watched the entire thing unfold. She shook her head at Miroku when he tried to speak again. _Not now,_ she thought, trying to send him the message with her eyes. Miroku seemed to understand since he shut his mouth and nodded his head curtly before disappearing back into his apartment.

The rest of the walk to Kagome's house was pretty awkward, especially considering they had walked in the same direction as The Girl for a few blocks. Neither Kagome or Inuyasha said anything the entire way there, both of them unsure of what might set Sango off. Inuyasha especially felt bad. He knew the girl hadn't spent the night like Sango must be thinking. She wasn't even in their apartment when Inuyasha left after failing to wake Miroku up.

 _Hell,_ he thought, _that girl would have been pretty bored if she_ had _come over last night!_ The reason Miroku wanted to sleep in today was because he and Inuyasha had stayed up late the night before talking about Sango. The monk couldn't stop telling the half demon how worried he was about the dark haired girl and planned to spend the day with her today while Inuyasha and Kagome settled Shippo in. Didn't look like that was going to happen. Inuyasha wanted to tell all of this to Sango, but knew that she wouldn't believe him if he tried.

"We're here!" Kagome said as they reached the bottom of a mountain of steps, her voice a little more cheerful than usual. Inuyasha pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "Don't over do it" which made Kagome blush for more than one reason.

Once they reached the top of the steps, Sango took a deep breath. She was glad she had never fell out of shape, or else those stairs would have been a killer. Looking around, she smiled at Kagome's house and the land that surrounded it. It almost reminded her of her home, with how familiar everything seemed to be; everything on their property had a homey touch to it.

"Grandpa!" Kagome said loudly and started waving wildly as an older man approached them. He was dressed in what seemed to be more traditional clothes, and smiled upon seeing Kagome and Inuyasha. Once he reached them, his granddaughter quickly enveloped him in a hug before he pulled away to pat Inuyasha affectionately on the back.

"It's good to see you two! I was wondering when the next visit would be. Sota has been missing you like crazy too," the old man went off on a tangent and Sango couldn't help but give a soft chuckle, which brought his attention to her. Kagome quickly spoke up.

"Oh, grandpa! This is my new roommate, Sango," she said, and Sango gave a small bow.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," the older girl said respectfully, and quickly straightened when Kagome's grandfather hooked an arm through hers and led her to the house.

"Come, come, Kagome's mother is dying to meet you," he said, and Sango forced her eyes not to water. She was used to being surrounded by a town of people who were this comforting and friendly. Now, although she had made friends, she felt more alone than she ever imagined possible. This small act from Kagome's grandfather comforted a part of her soul that she never thought would find ease again. Turning his head back to see Inuyasha and Kagome still standing by the steps, the old man called out, "Hurry up you two! The food won't stay warm forever."

All throughout breakfast, Inuyasha and Kagome gave each other worried looks. First, they'd both noticed the sad, far off look had returned to Sango's face when she met Kagome's younger brother, Sota, who was very excited to meet her and ask her to teach him some martial arts. She'd put a smile on her face when she promised him that she would, but Inuyasha noticed that her voice and movements seemed off.

" _She's not living with family, or going to school, and she was desperate to find any job she could. She's got to be running from something Inuyasha. Something isn't right here."_

Miroku's words rang in Inuyasha's mind as he watched Sango. Had she lost a sibling? What was she running from?

Kagome was worried about her too, but for a completely different reason. She noticed that when Sango wasn't speaking she would look down and frown as if in anger, and then her face would go blank with sorrow. No doubt Miroku was on her mind. The scene from this morning was still playing in Kagome's head, too, except only because she was really confused. None of it made sense. Miroku had been annoying Inuyasha with how much he liked Sango, and even came to Kagome a few times to ask her advice on how he should handle his feelings. Kagome knew that Miroku was changing his ways for her, so there's no way he would be dumb enough to let a girl into his apartment. Looking at Sango now, Kagome sighed.

"Hey, Sango, if you want to leave, we can go back," she said to her roommate, hesitantly placing one of her hands on Sango's. They'd finished their food and had been sitting around talking for awhile now. Grandpa had gone out to clean, and Sota had left to play video games. Although it would have been nice to spend the day with her family, Kagome wouldn't put her roommate through torture - she could come back home another time.

Sango looked up at the younger girl when she felt a hand placed on top of her own. "Huh? Oh, no, it's okay Kagome. I don't want to take you away from your family." _You should spend as much time as you can with them,_ Sango thought to herself. Kagome nodded, knowing better than to push her roommate. Still, she added, "Okay then. But if you want to leave by yourself, you can. The way home isn't hard to figure out."

Sango considered it. The truth was, she was in a lot of pain right now. When she met Kagome's brother, Sota, he'd reminded her so much of her own little brother. The way he'd asked her to teach him martial arts reminded her so much of Kohaku…

" _Big sister!" a young Kohaku called, running up behind Sango. He'd watched from behind some trees as she practiced with her hiraikotsu, using the over sized boomerang as well as her arms and legs to take out a circle of human shaped punching bags. Catching the hiraikotsu, Sango looked over her shoulder and smiled._

" _Hey Kohaku! What's up?" she asked, standing the boomerang vertically so she could lean on it while she spoke. Her little brother just smiled widely once reaching her._

" _You're so good at all this self defense stuff, sis. I know father wants me to start training soon, but I'm kinda nervous about it. I was wondering if you could teach me some of what you know. I want to be strong and make father proud like you do some day!"_

Tears welled in Sango's eyes as Kohaku's big smile faded from her memory. It wasn't just her brother on her mind though. Sango had to admit that she'd been thinking a lot about Miroku during the meal as well. She felt almost rude; she knew she wasn't talking much, she must have made the worst impression on Kagome's family. Maybe it was best to leave. Forcing the tears to go away, Sango looked up again. "Would it be incredibly rude if I left?"

"Not at all!" the answer came from Kagome's mother, who smiled exactly like her daughter as she passed Sango a box. "Here, I prepared some lunch for you. You didn't seem to be feeling well during the meal, so I figured you would leave early."

Sango now understood where Kagome got her positive attitude from. She bowed her head in thanks and got ready to leave. After assuring Inuyasha and Kagome that she would make it back okay, Sango was on her way home. Mrs. Higurashi made her promise that she would visit again when she was feeling better, and Sango felt herself relax a little with relief. Being around Kagome's family made her feel at least a little bit less home sick.

Giving herself time to think and prepare in case she bumped into Miroku, Sango took a few detours on her way back to the apartment. This morning she'd almost cried in front of him, and she wouldn't let that happen again. Sighing, she sat down on a bench in front of a bus stop. What was wrong with her? She was supposed to be focusing on finding her brother, not a stupid man she'd just met. Sure, over the past couple months she'd grown closer to Miroku, even considered confiding in him about her past. But who was she kidding, she knew he was a womanizer. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be enough for him. He'd already bedded women way more interesting than her, what did she have that could possibly appeal to him, especially if she wasn't interested in sleeping with him?

Shaking her head, Sango stood from the bench and finally walked directly home. She had a new mindset now: find Kohaku. She wouldn't bother having feelings for a stupid monk - or not monk - whatever he was. She didn't need the extra distraction. She would just go on with her life as she had originally planned: move into a small apartment, save up some money, and start traveling. She was never supposed to get attached to these people anyway.

Sango had made it to her building and up the flights of stairs to her apartment while these thoughts ran through her mind. Finally, she was pulling out her key and entering her apartment where she could be alone and -

"Hey Kagome, I think I broke your microwave. I've been trying to use my fox fire to heat this but - oh, you're not Kagome."

Sango froze in her doorway and blinked. In front of her was a small boy, with animal like feet, a puffy tail, and pointed ears. In his right hand he held a Cup Noodle and his left hand was on fire. Sango screamed. Which caused the thing to scream.

Miroku spent most of the morning awake in his bed cursing his luck. He'd had nothing but Sango on his mind for weeks. It was killing him inside not being able to reach out and touch her all the time, but he knew if he really wanted her - which he did - he couldn't do that. The monk was trying so hard to get her to really like him, and this morning ruined it all.

 _Hearing a knock on his door, he figured it was Sango coming over since the two lovebirds had left for breakfast and she was probably lonely. He didn't question why she was so early, he was only happy that he would get to be around her. So happy that he didn't think to throw a shirt and actual pants on. When he opened the door and realized it wasn't Sango, he just stood in the doorway, trying his best to get this girl to leave his side._

" _Ayame," Miroku sighed, closing his eyes to rid himself of annoyance at the small auburn headed girl in front of him. By the looks of her, the monk could tell she hadn't slept much, and was still dressed in her sleep attire, although her thin nightgown looked more like a dress to go partying in. "What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?"_

 _Ayame just stared back at him and clenched her teeth along with her fists. "Yes I'm well aware of the time! I couldn't sleep all night, I wanted to come see you, but I thought I should wait for a reasonable time. You said if I was having trouble fitting into the human world I could come to you or Inuyasha for help. That is why I'm here."_

 _Miroku had opened his eyes sleepily as she spoke and immediately closed them again in fear that she would catch him rolling his eyes. Sure, a few months back when they first met Ayame he and Inuyasha had offered to help her in any way. Ayame was a wolf demon, just like Koga, and his assistant instructors Ginta and Hakkaku. While the male demons had opted to take on human forms with concealment charms and live their lives among humans after The Great Demon War, Ayame and her pack chose a different path. They changed themselves to the form of a wolf and lived high up in the mountains for five hundred years. Once it was clear that the pack needed a new leader, since Ayame's grandfather was dying, she came in search of Koga, one of the only honorable wolf demons still alive._

" _Alright," Miroku agreed, rubbing his eyes with regret. "What can I do for you then? Is the concealment charm giving you a hard time?"_

" _Huh? Oh no, it's fine. It took some getting used to, but I actually like the pendant, it looks really cute," the young demon girl smiled as she toyed with the charm around her neck, but quickly snapped out of it to scowl at Miroku. "It's Koga! I've been trying to get him to notice me in the human ways, you know, figuring that would help me fit in. Plus he's been pretending to be human for so long I thought that maybe that's how he would prefer it. But obviously that's not working. It's been months and he still refuses to marry me! He only has eyes for her," Ayame pouted and jerked her head across the hall. The monk nodded, knowing Koga had a thing for Kagome, much to Inuyasha's displeasure._

" _So what do you want me to do about that? Talk to Koga? He probably won't listen to me. I mean, I could threaten to fire him, but you know -"_

" _No, no! Nothing like that!" Ayame interrupted. She shook her head and took a step forward, taking Miroku's hand in a begging manner. "I need private lessons from you! For martial arts, that is. If the human way doesn't work, then I'll just try to appeal to Koga's instincts. He already sees how well I care for children when I help with his class, which means I'd be able to take good care of the children I'll bare for him. He needs to see how well I can fight though, to protect our children and pack. If I do that, I'm sure I can return home with him! Please Miroku! Please!"_

" _Ayame, you don't need private lessons. You're a good fighter, and I've sat in on the classes you've been in with Koga. His eyes hardly leave you, trust me, he's noticed how good you've gotten," Miroku responded, taking his hand away from her. Although her eyes brightened at the words, she still wasn't convinced._

" _Even if that is true, I'm still not good enough. Please? Just one lesson, and then you can give up on me if you want." Ayame was biting her bottom lip and Miroku swore her eyes grew at least two sizes bigger as she stared up at him, begging silently. Sighing, he nodded his head._

" _Fine, but only because you're someone I promised to look after. No one can know about these lessons, if any of the other women find out they'll be asking for private lessons, too, and I just don't have the time."_

" _Oh thank you so much!" Ayame clenched her fists by the sides of her face, finally relaxing. Koga would be hers, eventually. This would just get her that much closer. Smiling, she said, "Well, it was nice seeing you again, Miroku! I'll see you tomorrow for our next class," and walked off._

Squeezing his eyes shut, Miroku forced the memories out of his mind. He had no idea how he was going to face Sango and try to explain all of this. His best bet was to drink some coffee and wait for the time being. He stood out of his bed and was about to start making his coffee when he heard a scream from across the hall.

"Sango," he yelled, rushing towards the sound. Thankfully, the door was still opened so he wouldn't have to try to knock it down. When he stepped inside, he cursed to himself. There was Shippo, in his true from. Miroku rolled his eyes when he saw Sango standing on the black recliner chair that was near the doorway, her shoe in her hand ready to strike Shippo. _Leave it to a descendent of demon slayers to be afraid of a small fox demon._

"Shippo!" he yelled, throwing one of the girls' decorative pillows at the small demon in anger as Inuyasha and Kagome came running in. Inuyasha immediately took a protective stance in front of Sango while asking, "What happened, what is it, what's wrong?" His eyes searched around frantically until they found Shippo, grinning hesitantly with a Cup Noodle in his hand. Suddenly, Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.

"Shippo, you buttface! You were supposed to wear a concealment charm! Miroku didn't travel all the way back to our shrine to get that just for you to not wear it!" The monk looked away as his best friend spoke. True, he had told Inuyasha and Kagome that he was traveling back to get the charm for Shippo, but that was only half the reason. The other part was to talk to the monks about his hand.

" _There is nothing that can be done now. You know what you must do to break the curse."_

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, Inuyasha, don't kill me!" the small fox demon threw himself onto the floor in a fetal position, and Sango slowly stepped back onto the ground. He didn't seem so scary now…

"Shippo," Kagome said in a voice used to punish toddlers as she approached him. She took him in her arms like she had for years and asked, "Why didn't you use the charm?"

"I did!" Shippo was quick to say. He pulled the necklace out of his pocket to prove that he had indeed brought it with him. He lowered his head when he continued. "I just didn't like the way it made me feel a little foggy so I figured I could take it off once I got here! Plus no one was home anyway."

"But we told you about Sango, Shippo; you know you were supposed to wear it around the house," Inuyasha scolded, and Sango couldn't help but feel like this is how it would be if Kagome and Inuyasha had kids.

"I didn't think she would be home today, she was supposed to be spending the day with the monk!" Shippo said in defense, pointing a finger at Miroku who blanched at the accusation. Sango turned her head to him. She hadn't remembered them making any plans together, and clearly he hadn't either.

"Those plans changed," Miroku quietly said, and Sango saw Inuyasha's sympathetic look before he quickly spoke up. "You were supposed to wear the damn charm anyway, Shippo!" the silver haired male said defensively, and Shippo groaned.

"I know, I'm sorry, okay! Stop yelling at me!"

Kagome could feel Shippo shaking in her arms and couldn't help but feel bad for him. He really hadn't meant to cause any harm, no one had been home, and the charm made him uncomfortable. Plus, if Sango stayed around, she would eventually find out, right? "Alright," Kagome said, "calm down everyone. There's no point in throwing blame around, how about we just focus on the problem at hand. Sango, how're you doing?"

The older girl blinked as all eyes turned to her. How was she? She had to take a moment to figure that out herself. When she had arrived home she was still upset about Kohaku and Miroku; for now, that pain had subsided. The shock of seeing Shippo had caused a numb feeling to overcome her. She wasn't sure how she was really feeling, except for maybe confused. "I'm...alright, I suppose. A little confused."

"Okay, we can work with that," Kagome nodded. With her face set, she asked, "What are you confused about?"

"What...well, what is he?" Sango pointed to Shippo as she spoke and he blushed, his eyes growing wide with embarrassment. He knew he was small for his age, but he didn't think anyone could confuse what he was.

"What do I look like! I'm a fox demon, obviously!" he yelled, curling into Kagome for comfort, but the younger girl just shushed him.

"She doesn't know what demons are, Shippo, that's why we asked you to wear the charm around the house," Miroku said, his tone of voice tired, as if this was a topic he had to go over many times. Sango looked at the man next to her and her expression grew even more confused. Of course she knew what demons were, she just didn't think they were real.

"Demons?" she questioned out loud, and it was Inuyasha who spoke next.

"Well," he said with a blank voice. "I guess this is a good a time as any to show you these." Sango watched as Inuyasha took his silver hair out of it's ponytail and shook it out. Sitting on top of his head were two very distinct dog ears. No. Way.

"Oh," Sango whispered, walking closer to get a better look. For a moment she worried that she was being rude, but she dismissed the thought, figuring they couldn't blame her. They'd just thrown her into a whole new world after all. "So, those are your ears then?" she couldn't help but giggle, which caused Inuyasha to frown at her.

"Yeah, what's so funny about 'em?" he asked, his voice annoyed to cover how embarrassed he was.

Sango shook her head. "It's nothing. I just always figured that you had large ears because no matter what hairstyle you had, there was always some hair covering the sides of your face. I figured you were trying to cover your ears because you were insecure about them, but you were really just covering that area because you don't have any ears there at all."

Inuyasha's eyes went round and all he could do was blink at her. "Oh...well...yeah…" The truth was, he was preparing himself for something much worse. He thought she would shriek and call him a freak, or ask him if he was a test tube baby from an experimentation lab. He didn't think she would just laughed. "I'm a half demon."

"So, all the stories I grew up hearing about demons, they're true?" she asked, sitting down on the sofa in their living room. The group nodded, and made themselves comfortable around her. It seemed like they would be there awhile, answering questions like this and explaining things.

The group ended up staying around until after dinner. They'd spent hours talking to Sango, and once they were all certain that she wasn't in shock and that everything made sense to her, they settled on ordering in. They all needed some food in them by that time. Miroku was the first one to call it a night, saying that he hadn't slept much the night before and was exhausted. To his surprise, Sango walked him to the door.

"Listen, Miroku…" she started, but trailed off, looking away. She didn't know how to bring up what was on her mind; it was a touchy subject, for both of them. Miroku noticed her hesitance and prodded her to go on.

"What is Sango?" he asked, leaning towards the door. He wasn't lying when he said he was exhausted, he wasn't sure how much longer he could stay awake. Finally she continued.

"If demons are real then, does that mean, well, your hand…"

"Ah," Miroku smiled, finally understanding why she was being shy. He reached out to give her arm a friendly tap. "Yes. The story I told you about the demon and the curse, that's true. I'm sorry for having to lie to you, but you can imagine the kind of reaction I would get from people if I told them the truth."

Sango looked up when Miroku gave a small laugh and realized he was putting on a brave front. She could tell that he changed whenever he thought of it; he was just as scared about it as she was. And now that the source was demonic rather than biological, well, there was even less hope. Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, she nodded her head. "It's okay," she mumbled, and she wasn't sure if she was talking about his lie or what had happened this morning. Still, Miroku smiled and nodded before saying goodnight, and crossed the hall without another word.

It was well past midnight when Inuyasha finally made his way back to his apartment. He expected Miroku to be asleep already, so he was surprised when he saw his friend sitting at their kitchen table playing with an empty bottle of beer. "Hey monk," he greeted casually, "what are you doing up? I thought you were exhausted."

"I was," Miroku said, his eyes never leaving the bottle as he slid it from one hand across the table to the other. "But I couldn't sleep, so I decided to just get up."

"And drink, apparently," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. He sat down next to Miroku at the kitchen table and leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. "So, what was Ayame doing here this morning anyway? I never got to ask you."

Miroku wanted to be annoyed at the memory, but at this point he couldn't bring himself to feel anything at all. "She wants private martial arts lessons. She's hoping if she becomes a good fighter it will encourage Koga to make her his wife." Inuyasha responded by snorting.

"Good, give her all the lessons you can, monk, the sooner that wolf stench is gone from my life the better," he said, leaning back in his chair and stretching. Looking at Miroku, he tried to figure out what was wrong. Sango had walked him to the door, didn't that mean she had forgiven him? He thought they would have talked it out by now, maybe she said something that hurt him. "So, did you explain all of this to Sango?"

"No," Miroku answered shortly, not really feeling in the mood to discuss the beautiful girl across the hall. Inuyasha huffed quietly; he'd hoped to get more information out of the response.

"When are you gonna tell her then? It didn't seem like she was upset anymore."

"I'm not going to tell her, Inuyasha. At this point, it's best that she doesn't think highly of me."

Miroku noticed that Inuyasha looked shocked by the response he gave, and he guessed it was pretty shocking of him to say. Since he'd met Sango he hadn't been able to stop talking about her, she was the only thing on his mind. He'd been working towards becoming a man that was worthy of her, but for what? When Sango asked him about his hand earlier, he saw her grim expression, and something clicked in his mind. What would happen if he got close with Sango? What if things went well and they got married, had kids, had a son? He had seen her hurt expression even for a moment when she saw him standing with Ayame; he knew that even if just a little she felt the same way about him as he did her. There was nothing else he could do. He refused to doom Sango to the life of a widow, and the pain of losing a child.

"What are you talking about? You haven't shut up about her for weeks and now you don't want her to like you? What is going on, Miroku? Have you lost your mind?" Inuyasha asked, leaning forward again; now that he was interested in the conversation, he forgot how tired he was.

"You know what master Mushin said to me, Inuyasha. There's nothing left that I can do. The cuse is being awakened, and it's going to kill me much faster than it killed my father," Miroku tried to explain himself. Inuyasha wasn't having it.

"So what? That drunk doesn't know what he's talking about! Don't tell me what he said has got you giving up." On the inside, Inuyasha was just as scared as his friend was, and the fact that Miroku sounded like he was already digging himself a grave made it worse.

"I'm not giving up. I just don't want to get close to Sango only to leave her. Mushin told me that her home town had been destroyed; it looked like a natural disaster wiped out the entire place. No one survived, Inuyasha, and I won't have her lose anyone else." Miroku couldn't justify doing that to anyone, especially Sango. And he wouldn't doom another soul to this fate. "The curse stops with me. I won't allow anyone else to get hurt because of it. I'll die alone and stop the chain. I'll be the last man to die of this cursed fate."

"Oh please," Inuyasha said, his voice taking on an angry tone. He didn't want to hear Miroku talk about his death any longer, frankly because Miroku was all he had. Sure, there was Kagome, and even Shippo. But Miroku was the one who had been there from the start, the one who really understood him, the one who he could always count on no matter what. "Stop your selfless act, monk, you're not fooling me. You think you're making some huge sacrifice, well let me tell you, you ain't! You were always dramatic, but damn Miroku, I didn't think you'd try to pull one of these on me.

"Listen, I know the real you, and this ain't him. The Miroku I know wouldn't give up so easily. So what if the curse is awakened? That doesn't really change much does it? We're gonna do what we have planned to do since we were kids: we'll find a way to cure it, even if we have to track down some five hundred year old demon. Now get off your soapbox, and go to bed. I'm tired, and I don't want to be up all night because you can't sleep again."

With that, Inuyasha flicked Miroku's forehead and stood to leave. Before he disappeared into the hallway, he turned back to make one last comment. "You know, you said you don't want to leave Sango, but if you give up now, she's already lost you."

Miroku looked up to tell Inuyasha to shut up, but his friend was already gone. _Great,_ he thought, _that didn't go as I expected._ Sighing, Miroku placed his bottle into the sink before turning off the lights and heading to bed. Maybe he'd get a few hours of sleep before having to get ready for the class he was set to teach. Sango usually helped him teach this class, and he wondered if she'd be around tomorrow after everything that happened today.


	4. Chapter 4

Sango hadn't spoken to Miroku since the night she met Shippo, almost a month ago. She had forgiven him for their encounter in the hallway, figuring she couldn't really be upset with him, it's not like they were dating, or he even liked her or anything...So the silence confused her very much. She'd noticed it the morning after the incident, when they were teaching a class together at the dojo. Miroku stayed as far away from her as he could, and only spoke to her when he had no other choice; even then, he wouldn't look her in the eyes. Then that evening he didn't show up for dinner with Inuyasha, and Sango found herself staring at his empty seat all through out the meal. Even now, weeks since he'd last been in their apartment, Sango would time to time glance over at his seat and miss his presence at the table. One night Inuyasha caught her glancing over, and pulled her aside on his way out.

" _Listen Sango, if you're wondering how he is, I can tell you that he's doing much worse than you are." He shook out his silver hair, wiggling his ears still, even though it had been a half hour since he took out his ponytail. "Don't worry, okay? Give him time, he'll come around."_

But it had been weeks and the monk still hadn't come around. Sango did notice that he spent more time at the gym though, and sometimes she would see him with the young girl that was with him that one morning. She had to admit that the sight would send a dagger to her heart, and instead of her usual glare, she would just look away sadly. _Just a womanizer,_ Sango would think, but she had hoped that he would at least care about her as a friend.

This was a good thing, though. It would make saying goodbye that much easier. This past month Sango had found herself another part time job at a bakery and was saving up as much money as she could. She took on as many shifts possible, for the extra pay, but also to keep herself busy. She couldn't stand being across the hall from a man who was ignoring her, and the busier she was during the day, the more exhausted she was at night, meaning it was less likely for The Nightmare to occur. When she'd first moved in with Kagome, The Nightmare had gone away and given Sango a peace of mind. But since she was at odds with Miroku, it had returned, more vivid than usual.

 _Sango returned to the cluster of houses in the center of her town to find complete chaos. She'd been just beyond the town line, somewhere deep in the forest where she would often go to practice with her weapon of choice. Today, she'd sensed something was wrong and rushed back._

 _The trees and houses were on fire, and as she ran back toward her own home, she would stop into the burning houses along the way to check for any survivors. Every house was filled with dead bodies with stab wounds. Who could have done this?_

Please, _Sango thought as she ran,_ father, Kohaku, be safe! _Tears blurred her eyes as she made a sharp turn and slid into her own home. She found it odd that their door was open. Her father was standing near the doorway with his back towards her. "Father!" Sango shouted, about to move toward him when she stopped in cold blood. Her brother, Kohaku, was standing a few feet away from their father, his kusarigama in his hand. Slowly, their father fell to the floor, blood gushing from his chest. Sango couldn't believe what she was seeing, and screamed. The sound snapped Kohaku to attention._

 _Seeming confused, the boy looked at Sango. "Sister…?" he asked in a small voice, looking around himself as Sango shook her head, crying more steadily now._

" _Kohaku how could you? What have you done?" she asked, feeling alone, betrayed, scared, and so much more. Suddenly, Kohaku began to cry._

" _Father! No, Naraku, please, no. I don't want to kill her, she's my sister. Please don't make me kill her, please!" He was bent over and clutching his head, crying. Sango took one step towards him, and he looked up at her. "Sango, please help me! He's telling me to kill you but I don't want to. I'm scared." His sister watched his eyes go from fear and anguish to completely blank. His pupils dilated all the way, and he stared at her with unseeing eyes. Kohaku stood stiffly, and Sango began to shake as he lifted his weapon at her. She only had time to turn around before the blade pierced her back._

… _._

 _Sango woke to an annoying beeping sound. When she opened her eyes all the way, she could see that she was in a hospital. She tried to speak, but her throat was so sore nothing came out. Later she would find out from a nurse that she had kept screaming for hours until someone finally found her, alone and bleeding out in her own home, the only survivor._

… _._

 _When she opened her eyes next, there was a police officer next to her. "We believe your brother Kohaku had a severe schizophrenic attack. The mental illness usually arises around his age, and although psychotic attacks as large as this are uncommon, they aren't unheard of. He fled the crime scene before we arrived, but once we find him, he'll be taken in. Best case scenario, he's sent to a mental hospital for the rest of his life."_

" _What's the worst case scenario?" The grim look of the officer was the only answer she ever got._

Sango bolted straight up in bed, panting and sweating like crazy. Every night, the same dream. It always started and ended at the same parts. It wasn't just a dream though, but a memory. The last memory she had with her brother, who she was desperately trying to find before the police. Not wasting any effort with trying to go back to sleep, Sango got up and dressed. It was six in the morning, she had a few hours before she would have to be at the gym for class. Deciding to make the most of her time, Sango put on workout clothes and left the apartment for a jog around the neighborhood. She would go straight to the gym after and hopefully make herself tired enough to pass out into a dreamless sleep tonight.

When Sango arrived at the gym early, Miroku noticed that she looked exhausted, but said nothing. Of course he'd spent the last month worrying about her as he always did, even more now that he wasn't an active part of her life. Still, he knew what he was doing was for the best. Even if Inuyasha had refused to speak to him until he made amends with Sango, it was worth that too. He wouldn't put her through unnecessary pain. Miroku quickly looked away when he saw Sango's head starting to turn in his direction. Although he knew what he was doing was right, still...it pained him to look at her. When he did, all he wanted to do was beg her to forgive him and let him love her like she deserved to be loved. But he knew that would never happen.

Sango had caught Miroku staring at her in the reflection of the glass doors that separated the dojo from the actual gym. She'd turned to him, in hopes that he would finally speak to her, but when she faced him he was already looking in the other direction. Sango frowned. Maybe it wasn't her that he was looking at, _maybe it was someone else..._ Sango thought as she turned around. Sure enough, beyond the glass doors stood a group of women working out with some of the machinery. Of course he wasn't looking at her, he was just staring at them. Shaking her head, Sango couldn't believe she'd been so foolish. Why would he want to look at her?

Once they started the class, things progressed as they usually did. Miroku giving general instructions, and them giving personal attention to any student who needed it, keeping a good distance between each other at all times. As Sango walked around her side of the dojo, evaluating everyone's form, a man next to her fell to the ground, being defeated by his sparring companion. She turned around to face him. Offering her hand to the man, she said, "Next time, try blocking his kick with your forearm. While you do that, try to see where he's keeping his weight and look for any areas of weakness. If you attack there, you have a better chance of taking your opponent down." Sango was surprised when the man slapped her hand away with an audible smack. Turning his head in the opposite direction, he addressed her in a gruff tone.

"I ain't taking no instruction from a woman. I came here to learn from him, I don't know why he keeps you around."

Sighing, Sango's shoulders slumped. This was something she was not used to. In her town, men and women fought equally, there was no notion that women were inferior to men at all. So she was used to teaching people that respected her skill, no matter what their age or gender was. When she started teaching here, men would always comment on how surprised they were that a woman was able to do what she did. She had always chalked it up to city people having different points of views, but this man was just plain rude. Before she could reply for herself, Miroku was at her side, practically yanking the man up by the back of his shirt.

"Get out. You are no longer welcomed here. Sango is the best instructor we have, so if you do not wish to receive guidance from the best, then you have no reason for coming here. You can see the front desk about a refund for your payments, though after your incredibly foul words and behavior, I won't feel sorry if you don't get anything back." Miroku's brows were set into a deep V as he frowned, and the man sputtered more insults before leaving the room. If Sango was surprised by the man's actions, she was even more surprised by Miroku's. She didn't think he would even care about the man's behavior, let alone come to her aid. _At least I know he still respects me,_ she thought as the monk turned to her. "My apologies for his behavior, Sango. He didn't hurt you did he?"

"Oh. No," Sango replied choppily, blinking and shaking her head to clear her mind. Her hand barely stung when he initially slapped her, and the hit was long forgotten now. Miroku merely nodded and continued on with the class, the students working much harder now that the monk had put a little fear into them. Once the class was over, all of the students shuffled out, some of them taking the time to stop and tell Sango what a wonderful instructor she was. She smiled and bowed in thanks to all of them, and wished them well before Miroku called her over. When she reached him, he sighed, putting away the broom he'd just been using to sweep around the room before the next class.

"About earlier...I just wanted to apologize for stepping in. It was your battle, and I shouldn't have fought it for you. I know you can handle yourself. I don't know what came over me...I hope you can excuse my behavior," Miroku explained. But he knew what came over him: anger. When he saw the man fall out of the corner of his eye, he turned to look over, curious to see how Sango would handle it. Miroku couldn't believe what he was witnessing when the man struck Sango's hand and went on to disrespect her. The intense need to protect her filled him and he couldn't continue to watch from the sidelines. After he calmed down, he was worried he may have disrespected Sango more than their former student had.

Sango's eyes widened significantly and she leaned back slightly in surprise. Stammering, she answered him. "Oh, n-no, it's-it's fine! I didn't mind at all. I actually appreciated the help." What was going on? He went from ignoring her to this? There was so much that she wanted to say, to ask, to explain, but she didn't know where to start. As she looked into them, Miroku's eyes softened and filled with pain. He managed to open his mouth just as the door did the same.

"Sensei Miroku! I am here for my lesson," Ayame said, bursting into the dojo. Sango felt something inside her shatter. Right when she was getting somewhere with the monk, this girl of all people had to step in. Memories from seeing her in the hall with Miroku flooded Sango's mind and she turned her head back to the man next to her. With her eyes, she pleaded with him, giving him a look as if to say "pick me". _Tell her to leave_ , Sango shouted in her mind, her eyes never leaving Miroku's. _Stay with me, talk to me, tell me you miss me and that you never want to go this long without talking to me ever again!_

Clearing his throat, Miroku tore his eyes away from Sango's intense stare. He knew what she was thinking, that she wanted him to explain his behavior to her, tell her why he was avoiding her like the plague. He was just about to do so, but thankfully Ayame had interrupted him. He wouldn't break from his resolve: he was going to die alone. And soon, if the pain in his right hand was any sign of that. "Ayame," he said, stepping away from a dejected Sango. "I'll be right with you, I just have to go settle some things with the front desk. Feel free to warm up." With that, Miroku left the dojo as quickly as he could. There was nothing he needed from the front desk, but rather, what he really needed was to get away from Sango and calm his pounding heart.

Back in the dojo, Sango stood completely still with her head bowed, eyes still wide with disbelief. He had left her. He had chosen this girl over her. She knew she couldn't mean much to him, especially since they'd only just met a few months ago, but she thought he'd at least tell her why he was acting this way. Was this girl more important to him than giving Sango the explanation she deserved? Hearing the girl beginning to stretch, Sango cleared her throat and shook her head, turning around. "I'm sorry, I'm in your way, I'll just get my things and leave."

"Oh, it's okay," Ayame said quietly, glancing over at the other female and giving her a once over. She recognized her. Squinting, Ayame was trying to figure out where she'd seen the dark haired human before. "Oh!" it finally hit her. "You're one of the instructors here right? You must work with Koga a lot then. You're not after him too are you?" she asked Sango, narrowing her eyes and absentmindedly clenching her fists. She could compete with one human girl, but two was just insulting. Ayame watched as Sango paused while reaching for her gym bag and furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Koga?" she asked simply, and that's all it took to calm Ayame's worries. No woman in love would say the name of their beloved in that tone. Laughing, the demon girl answered Sango with the wave of her hand.

"Oh, of course you're not interested in Koga, you're the monk's woman, are you not? He does seem awfully fond of you."

Sango was only half listening at this point. For some reason, a familiar feeling was creeping up her spine. Right now it was fairly faint, but it was a feeling she was used to feeling from time to time. Images flashed through her mind as she tried to remember when she had felt it before; most recently was when she had met Shippo, and even when she met Inuyasha. She also felt this around Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku...then there were the random people on the street as well, blurred faces that she'd never learned the names to…

" _She doesn't know what demons are, Shippo…"_

"Demon," Sango whispered as her eyes widened in shock. She'd never realized it before, but she could feel when demons were close by, sensing them almost. Her entire life she'd gotten this same feeling randomly, but was never able to figure it out until now. Ayame looked just as startled as Sango.

"What? Has the monk told you what I am? You two must be pretty close then. Huh, and to think I was worried that you'd try to steal Koga from me. I asked Miroku for private lessons since being a good fighter is the only thing that will catch Koga's eye. I hope you are not upset with me for taking so much of his time away from you," Ayame said with a deep bow of apology, but Sango's mind was reeling. Not only was she a demon, but she wasn't romantically involved with Miroku at all. When they were standing in the hallway, were they discussing lesson plans? The human woman had never felt so stupid and embarrassed ever before.

"Excuse me," Sango choked out, picking up her bag before she rushed through the door. On her way out she passed by Miroku, who grabbed her arm to stop her. "Sango, wait!" he called as he pulled her back, and she brought accusing eyes up to meet his. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, feeling embarrassed and hurt at the same time. He knew she was in pain over this, and he just let her suffer.

Miroku sighed before he began to answer. "Sango, listen. I think very highly of you, you are the most extraordinary woman I have ever encountered. But you are my coworker, my neighbor, I-"

"I understand, say no more," she said, interrupting him. Of course he didn't have feelings for her, what was she even thinking. He only saw her as a neighbor, not even a friend. She'd probably scared him off with her behavior after seeing him in the hallway with that demon girl. Ignoring his protests to explain further, Sango quickly tore her arm away from his grasp. "It's fine Miroku," Sango said, bowing her head so that her bangs covered her eyes that were quickly filling with tears. What was wrong with her? When did she get so attached? "It's not like I ever expected or wanted you to have feelings for me or anything. Just forget about it. It's fine."

"Sango, if you would just let me finish -"

"I just can't, Miroku," she whispered before turning around and running out of the gym. As the monk stood and watched the woman he had grown to care for run away from him he became aware that many eyes were on him. He ignored them all and simply walked back to the dojo. This was what he had wanted, and yet, he didn't think this was what he wanted at all.

This time, it was Sango who avoided Miroku. The next morning she'd snuck into his office and left a note on his desk letting him know that she would be working at the dojo significantly less due to other engagements. The "other engagements" being her job at the bakery. She had worked so hard that they had offered her the position of manager which she gratefully took along with a raise. At this rate, it wouldn't be much longer before she could move out and start searching for Kohaku. She had already started to ease Kagome into her moving out, even if it wasn't her initial idea to tell the younger girl.

" _Hey, Sango?" Kagome had asked, putting down the small glass cup she had been washing. The older girl poked her head in through the door, having just left the kitchen after their breakfast. "Yeah?" she responded. Kagome pressed her lips into a thin line before turning around to face her roommate. Sango noticed there was worry in her large brown eyes._

" _I've just been thinking," Kagome started, clasping her hands together behind her back to keep her fingers from fiddling. "I'm sorry if this is rude of me, but you don't have many things. Like, at all. Your room is empty besides the bed, and you only have a small amount of clothes, even though you've been here months. Is it...because you don't plan on staying long?"_

 _Sango looked at her roommate. Kagome's eyes were shiny with concern, and she was shifting her weight from foot to foot. Sighing, Sango stepped back into the room, if only to lean against the doorway, and nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, I hadn't planned on staying long. I know I should have told you that sooner, but I feared that if I did, you wouldn't have accepted my roommate application."_

 _Kagome shook her head, moving her hands into the air in front of herself. "Oh no! No, it's okay. I'm not mad, I understand your reasoning. I'm guessing you won't tell me why you're in a hurry to leave?" When Sango shook her head, Kagome sighed. "I'm going to miss you, you know."_

At the time, she had assured her roommate that it would still be awhile before she would reach the amount of money she needed to leave. She even stayed a longer time because she kept making the amount larger, convincing herself that what she had saved just wasn't enough. But, finally, she forced herself to accept that it was time for her to leave. Kohaku had been hiding for months, and every day the police got closer and closer to finding him.

That day at the dojo was the first time Sango spoke to Miroku in three weeks. She knocked on his office door but walked in without waiting for his answer. Things would be on her terms now, she was done with waiting for him to be ready to confront her. When she stormed in, Miroku startled and stared at her. She quickly spoke before he could say anything. "I'm on my way out, I just wanted to let you know that I have something important to tell everyone, so be over at the apartment before dinner." Sango only waited for the monk to give her a small and confused nod before she left his office. Once outside, she paused and smiled to herself. She felt stronger than she had in months.

Back in his office, Miroku stared at the door in which Sango had appeared and just as quickly disappeared through. What was going on? Whatever she had to say must be very important considering it forced her to speak with Miroku. For some reason, after their short lived conversation outside the dojo about a month prior, Sango had done her best to avoid him. She'd canceled a lot of her classes at the dojo, notifying him about it through a note left on his office desk. Inuyasha told him that Kagome asked them both to stop coming over so often, making up some excuse about Shippo and Inuyasha not getting along, but Miroku knew it was probably at Sango's request. For the past month the monk had had to cook for two, which he wouldn't mind, if the other person didn't have dog ears and male parts.

The avoidance hadn't stopped Miroku from worrying about Sango, though, especially now that she had something important to tell them. Was she sick? No, that couldn't be. There's no way she could fight the way she did if her health wasn't in top shape. Could his predictions be right, was there something she was running from? Was someone from her home after her? Something about her just wasn't adding up, but Miroku had the creepy feeling that he was about to find out what it was. Sitting in his office now, he cursed himself. If he had only been able to explain to Sango how he felt about her, and why he couldn't get close to her, maybe he could be protecting her right now, instead of just missing her.

Nerves started to settle under Sango's skin as dinner time slowly approached. Kagome and Inuyasha had left just a few minutes ago to get last minute groceries from the store up the street. It was just Sango and the small fox demon left in the comfortably sized apartment, and the human tried to stop her legs from bouncing as she sat on the sofa. Seeming to sense her nerves, Shippo appeared out of no where and hopped onto Sango's lap.

"Hey Sango, what's wrong? You don't have to be anxious, we all care about you, and we'll support you no matter what it is that you have to tell us!" Shippo told her, looking up into her eyes with such sincerity that Sango had to hold her breath to keep her emotions in check. Although he had only known her for a short while, Shippo already had become such a great friend to her. Every morning they woke up early and prepared breakfast for themselves and Kagome, and she sat with him playing card games every evening while Kagome made dinner. Sango told herself after the slaughter of her town that she would never know the feeling of being part of a family ever again, yet these people that lived around her made her feel more cared about than she had in years.

"Thank you Shippo," Sango said softly, fondly rubbing her hand across the demon's head. She was still nervous, but not that they wouldn't support her. She was nervous because she didn't want to upset anyone, or let anyone down. She knew the dojo didn't have many instructors, and Kagome would have to look for a new roommate again so soon. They wouldn't show it, but would they be angry with her?

The door opened, and Sango was brought out of her thoughts when Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku walked in. _This is it,_ she thought, taking a deep breath and putting on a shaky smile. Inuyasha first looked at her, and then glanced at Miroku, whose shoulder muscles were tight with worry. Just as the half demon thought… "Hey Sango," Inuyasha said, knowing he would have to lighten the mood, "You better have a good reason for calling all of us over here like this. I had convinced Miroku to let us have ramen for dinner tonight, but because of you I'm stuck eating Kagome's cooking."

"Hey!" Kagome called from the kitchen, where she was currently putting down the newly bought groceries. She knew this was his way of comforting his friends, but did he have to take a crack at her cooking skills? Grumbling, she walked back into the livingroom. Sango's smile was more genuine when Kagome looked at her now.

"Well, I hope you don't stay too upset with me Inuyasha. But I figured it would be best to tell you all at once." Taking a deep breath, Sango paused to look around the room. From her position on the sofa, she looked up at Miroku and Inuyasha who were still standing by the now closed door. Miroku's arms were crossed and he was frowning; maybe he felt like he was wasting his time here, maybe he just doesn't care...On the other side of the room, near to doorway that led to the kitchen, stood Kagome, her brows pulled down with worry. "You can do it, Sango, remember what I said," Shippo whispered from his seat in her lap, and Sango nodded.

"I wanted to tell you all that I'm moving out. I should be gone by the end of the week," Sango said, feeling a little awkward. She knew this all came somewhat out of nowhere, but she refused to involve them in her troubles. What if they tried to stop her? Or worse, what if they told the police of her plans? Then she would never have a chance to save Kohaku.

"Sango…" Kagome started, and the older girl looked at her roommate briefly before looking down, unable to stand the sad expression on her face. Kagome took a seat on the edge of the sofa and faced her friend. "Why? You don't have to tell us, but we all care about you. If something is troubling you, no matter what it is, we can help you. You don't have to be alone."

Alone?

" _Well, Sango, you're lucky," a man in a white lab coat said to her while she laid still on her hospital bed. He wasn't looking at her, but at a file. "You're the only survivor."_

… _._

 _Her home seemed too big. It was just her, and the furniture. The streets were dead. Literally. Sango's mind registered that the TV was on but she stared blankly at the wall above it, not watching it. It was a story she knew too well. "...It seems that the murderer's older sister is the lone survivor of the massive psychotic episode…"_

… _._

 _Today was the day. In a few hours she would be in Tokyo, meeting Kagome face to face for the first time. She looked out of the restaurant's window while waiting for someone to take her breakfast order. "Is it just you, ma'am?" a waiter said, walking closer to her. Sango had been lost in her thoughts and asked him to repeat himself. "Are you alone?" he asked, his voice flat. Sango stared. "Yes," she said quietly, "I am alone."_

"But I am alone," Sango said in a hushed voice, snapping out of her memories suddenly. Her head was bowed so that her bangs covered her watering eyes, and her left hand had balled into a shaky fist without her realizing it. The group looked at her with worry, and it was Kagome who spoke up, inching closer to her roommate. "What did you say, Sango?" she asked, her voice as soft and comforting as she could make it.

"I'm alone!" Sango exploded, looking up finally, managing to keep her tears from spilling. "I don't have anyone left. I have to go, there's something I must do, and I'm running out of time to do it."

The room fell silent for a few moments. No one was sure what to say next, not even Sango herself. They were all shocked by how loud her voice had gotten; Sango had never shown emotion like that before. With a deadpan expression on his face, Inuyasha stepped towards the sofa Sango was sat on and said, "Yeah...not likely. You do know who your roommate is, right?" he paused to lift a finger and point at Kagome, who had her hands clamped together near her face in worry. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Sango, but you made friends with the wrong people. Kagome isn't going to let you go through anything on your own from now on, and as for me and these fools," he motioned towards Shippo and Miroku, "well, we pretty much follow her lead. Seems like you're stuck with us."

"Yeah, Sango!" Shippo spoke up, feeling brave again after being shocked by Sango's outburst. He sat a little shaky on her lap. "We won't leave your side! We're your friends, and we're with you til the end!" After hearing his words, Sango looked around the room at all the people around her and found that she could no longer hold back her tears. These people that were mere strangers to her months ago were now her friends...her family…Sobs racked her body and she bowed her head, covering her face with her hands. Maybe she wasn't alone anymore. "Oh, Sango," Kagome said, finally moving all the way over towards her roommate and wrapped her arms around the older girl.

From the doorway, Miroku stood frozen. He wanted so badly to be the one to reach out and comfort Sango, but by the way she'd been acting towards him, he figured that was off limits. At first, when she said she was leaving, he hadn't known what to say. He should be happy, he wouldn't be able to hurt her if she was gone, and yet. Yet, he was selfish, and wanted her close, even if he couldn't have her. But when she had began to yell, well, Miroku knew he couldn't let her go. Something was obviously wrong, and the last thing she needed was to be on her own right now. The monk looked over at his best friend, and Inuyasha gave a small nod, knowing what was going through Miroku's head. They would both protect Sango.

Her tears calmed down, and Sango found her voice was strong enough to speak. Shippo allowed her to hold him for comfort while she began to talk. "Almost six months ago, I lost everything," she started in a voice that was still a little hoarse from tears. "My home town is surrounded by trees, and I found that going into the forest was the best place for me to practice with my weapon. I hadn't been out there long when I sensed something was wrong. When I rushed back to town, everything was on fire..trees, houses...people. My house is the biggest in town and also the farthest away from the borders. When I finally reached my home I saw my father," Sango choked on her last word and turned her face away from her friends, her sobs returning. She gathered herself as much as she could, still crying as she went on explaining. "My brother killed him. The psychologists working with the police say that he suffers from schizophrenia, and that he had a psychotic episode. He came to for a moment after he slayed my father; he was begging someone who wasn't there not to make him kill me. He tried to anyway. When the police arrived they found me close to death, and my brother wasn't in sight.

"That's why I have to find him!" Sango said frantically, wiping her tears as she looked around at her friends who were listening intently. "I need to find him and take him away from here. If the police find him they'll show no mercy. He'll be in prison for the rest of his life and he doesn't deserve that. Kohaku is a nice boy, innocent in every sense; he never even wanted to train to fight, he only did it to please our father. I'm going to find him and go to the states. I'll get him help there and start a new life with him. I have to protect him, he's all I have left."

Sango was surprised when she felt Kagome give her a squeeze. She glanced over at her roommate and sniffled, becoming immersed in Kagome's sad yet optimistic face. "Don't worry, Sango," she said, her jaw setting with determination. "We will find your brother. We'll help you no matter what we need to do."

"You...you mean it? You don't think I'm crazy?" Sango asked, and she heard Inuyasha snort. "No, we definitely think you're crazy. But we're not letting you get yourself killed because of it," he said, crossing his arms casually with a smirk. Smiling, Sango was sure that her tears were done falling, at least for now. She nodded her thanks at Inuyasha and stood after placing Shippo on the seat next to her. Straightening her clothing, she told the group that she would make them dinner tonight as a way to say thank you for their support.

Before entering the kitchen an hour later, Inuyasha stopped Miroku and spoke in a low voice. "Hey monk, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin' 'bout all this?" he asked, to which Miroku nodded. A nice, innocent boy who didn't even want to be a fighter? Spoke to someone who wasn't there? Sure, there was a chance it was a mental illness, but from the way it had been described by Sango and even Master Mushin -

" _The entire town was burned to the ground. Almost like a natural disaster. Some of the monks said they felt a faint demonic aura when they went to bury people; I wouldn't be surprised if a demon_ was _involved. It wouldn't be the first time they masked their actions like this."_

-Miroku was almost positive her brother had been possessed. But why? And why have him kill their entire town? His own father? Miroku pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind when he entered the kitchen and gave Sango a smile. He would have to protect her in more ways than one.

Sango woke late the next day. It was Saturday, her day off from the dojo. She'd also also quit her job at the bakery, so she had no reason to be up and about. Finally, The Nightmare had given her a break at least for the night, and she'd gotten the best sleep she had in weeks. Not wanting it to be over, she turned over and went back to sleep after shutting on her 8am alarm. Now her digital clock read 12:30pm, and she decided to get up. After showering and changing into comfy sweats, she left her room and walked into the living room only to stop short. Sitting on her sofa was Miroku, eyes fixed on her TV. He was dressed much the same as she was, black sweatpants and a baggy white tshirt. It sometimes angered her that he could make something as simple as that look designer. When he finally felt her eyes on him, he looked over and smiled. Miroku grabbed the TV remote to shut it off, turning his full attention to the girl in front of him.

"Hello Sango! Good morning. I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here," he laughed as she hesitantly walked towards him. He knew things between them hadn't been easy lately, but after last night, he wanted to fix things. He wanted to be able to help her and protect her, if she needed it. Sitting down beside him, leaving a polite amount of room between them, Sango smiled embarrassedly. "It's not that I want to kick you out or anything, but it is strange that you're here all alone. Where's Kagome and Shippo?"

"Shippo wanted to visit Kagome's family. Her mother always spoils him with sweets when he goes over there, and he'd been planning this visit for awhile now. We were all going to go, but when we noticed how soundly you were sleeping...well, let's just say we all thought you deserved it. I offered to stay behind; I wasn't sure if you'd want to be alone right now." Miroku's smile was so genuine when he finished speaking that Sango wondered what ever could have forced her to ignore him for so long. At this point, she wasn't even sure what started their separation, and she doubted that it was that important. Feeling touched by his concern, she smiled and nodded. "Thank you, I'm glad you stayed. Waking up alone after last night probably would have freaked me out," Sango agreed, giving a small laugh. Miroku's smile widened at the sound.

As a moment of silence fell upon them, the monk couldn't help but let his eyes roam over the beautiful woman next to him. Her long dark hair was still wet from her shower, and her cheeks were pink - although he wasn't sure if she was blushing or just flushed from too water that was too warm. Either way, he decided it was cute. She wore a tshirt he'd given her when she first arrived here with the gym's logo on it, and oversized sweatpants. How he longed to see what was hidden beneath them...but he shooed those thoughts away. He was on a mission here. Realizing the silence had grown awkward, the monk cleared his throat.

"Listen, Sango. I have something I want to discuss with you." Those were the only words Miroku got out before Sango shut down. She physically turned away from him and said, "If you're going to say what I think you are, save it. I know you only see me as a friend, and I'm okay with it now. I've been acting immaturely, and I'm sorry." Miroku blinked and shook his head quickly, trying to make sense of her wrong assumption. A friend? What in the world?

"Sango, that's not even close to how I feel." Her head snapped towards him and her eyes were wide. He frowned at her, and leaned forward to take her hand in his. "My dear Sango. It is me who has been acting immaturely. I thought that if I pushed you away I would be saving you from pain and giving you your best chance at happiness. But I see now that I was wrong, and I hurt you more than I would have had I not done this. And I can't apologize enough for that.

"But I cannot confess my feelings for you without guilt. You are the most incredible woman I have ever encountered and yet there is no future for us, Sango. More specifically, I don't have a future. My wind tunnel will swallow me up entirely in just a few years, and you don't deserve to be mixed up with me when that happens. The demon that cursed my family has been dormant for five hundred years, just like the rest of the demons in Japan. The chances of me slaying him and freeing myself are absolutely laughable. There's no hope." Miroku's jaw set when he finished speaking. He hated that he had to say this to the only woman he's ever deeply cared for, but it needed to be said. He held his breath while waiting for her response.

Songo merely blinked at Miroku, her expression otherwise blank. So she had been wrong all along. Part of her was relieved, even embarrassed, but the other part of her...was confused. She blinked again before speaking. "Wait...you don't want to be with me just because of your wind tunnel?" _Okay..._ Miroku thought. _Not the response I was expecting._ Still, he was happy she didn't seem to be upset with him, for now. After he nodded his head, Sango frowned. "If that's all...then I'll help you slay the demon."

"What?" Miroku asked, dropping Sango's hand in surprised. Slay...the demon? Sango sighed and scooted closer to him, something that would have excited him had he not been questioning her sanity. "You said you wanted to give me my best chance at happiness," Sango started. "Well, my best chance at happiness is trying to create a future with you. If you die before we find the demon, then I'll move on. But don't force me to move on before we even try. Plus, my ancestors were demon slayers, right? It's in my blood. I can help."

Miroku stared at this woman in utter and complete shock. She, someone who didn't even know demons were real until a few weeks ago, was now offering to help him slay one. And all so that she could be with him. If you asked him when he first met Sango if he thought she could be any more amazing he would have said no, and she would have just proved him wrong. "But, what about your brother? Certainly he should be your first priority," Miroku reminded her, even though his heart sank a little while doing so. The determined expression never left Sango's face. "We can do both at the same time, can't we? We'll search for any clues or information about the demon that cursed you while we search for Kohaku. Once Kohaku is safe and in my care, I can dedicate all my energy on saving you. We can do this Miroku. Have faith in me."

Miroku couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips and he once again took Sango's hand in both of his. "Oh my dear Sango," he said through a smile, "there is nothing on this earth that I have more faith in than you. While we are on the topic of your brother though, there is something I should probably tell you." The monk watched as Sango's face went from a light pink blush to completely pale. She stiffly asked him what he had to say, and after sighing, he went on. "Inuyasha and I have suspected that a demon may have been controlling him when he attacked you and your town."

"A demon? How?" Sango asked, her voice tight with fear and confusion. She wanted so badly to believe this, that it wasn't Kohaku at all who stuck down their entire home, shattered their lives...Deep down, Sango had always believed that Kohaku couldn't be so violent, but the doctors had done such a good job convincing her…

Sighing, Miroku gave a lame shrug. "I'm not entirely sure. There are many different forms of possession by a demon, but from the way you have described it, and after speaking to the monks who buried your neighbors and friends, there's hardly a doubt in my mind. Do you remember anything specific that he said when he came to? Anything you overlooked that could be a clue?"

Sango thought for a painful moment before speaking. Flashbacks of blood and fire tore at her mind, but she forced her voice to speak. "I remember him calling out for our father. And then he said 'No, Naraku, please, no. I don't want to kill her, she's my sister' and continued begging to stop." At that, Miroku gasped and his entire body went cold. _This had to be a mistake, that name, no, it couldn't be._ Sango startled at his response to her words. "What? What is it Miroku?"

"That name - Naraku - are you sure that's the exact name he said?" the monk asked, grasping both of Sango's arms by her shoulders. She was beginning to become nervous but nodded her head anyway. "Of course I'm sure, I dream the memory every night, I remember it word for word, breath for breath...why? what is it? Tell me, Miroku! You're - you're beginning to frighten me."

Releasing her arms immediately, Miroku sat back, suddenly feeling dazed. "My apologies," he said, looking down at the hardwood floor. "It's just...that name…"

 _Miroku had spent the weeks since his father died hidden in the shrine's archives. He was reading anything he could about his family, learning more about this wicked curse that had been passed down to him. He finally found what he was looking for when Master Mushin appeared behind him._

" _Miroku," the fat monk said, peering at the young boy. "This is where you've been. The monks have been searching high and low for you. Come now, it's much too cold in here for a boy like you to stay."_

" _Who is Na-ra-ku," Miroku had asked, reading the name off of the ancient scroll before him. Mushin sighed, taking a seat on the ground next to the troublesome boy intrusted to his personal care. "Naraku," the old man said fluidly, "is the demon that cursed your family five hundred years ago. In order to save yourself, you must slay him, or suffer the same fate as your father."_

… _._

" _Die, Naraku! For I have slain your foul soul!" Miroku shouted, pushing his best friend to the ground and holding him there while crumpling in a fit of laughter. From under him, Inuyasha push the human boy off of himself and sat up._

" _Who the hell is Naraku, anyway?" he asked, giving his best friend a confused look. Miroku sighed and looked at the hand of his that was wrapped in prayer beeds. "He is the demon that cursed my family. Someday, I'm going to slay him, and free myself of this curse." Miroku sounded pretty proud for an eight year old, and Inuyasha snorted._

" _Well if you're going after some demon, I'm coming with you, since I'm way stronger than your human ass!"_

… _._

 _Miroku stared down at his hand. He flexed his fist. He relaxed it again. He could feel Inuyasha's stare from across the room of their new apartment and decided to speak. "It's grown. It's almost my full palm now. It used to be so small…"_

" _Listen here, monk," Inuyasha growled, suddenly in front of him. "I promised you we would find Naraku, and I'm tellin' you, we'll find him."_

"What about the name? Miroku?" Sango asked, pulling the monk out of his memories. He sighed, feeling something deep within him shake. Miroku looked her in the eyes and said, "Naraku is the name of the demon that cursed my family. That's the demon I have to kill in order to free myself, in order to be with you."

This time, it was Sango who gasped. This could be no coincidence. Something was happening here, something big. "The same demon? We're connected - but...how?" she asked, hoping he could give her an answer, but sadly he could not. "I don't know," Miroku said, his headache coming on full force. He quickly slid his cellphone out of his pocket, and dialed a number from his recents list. "I'm going to let Inuyasha know. Now that Naraku is involved, it changes many things. Your brother is in more danger with Naraku than he would be with the police." The call to Inuyasha went straight to voicemail. Cursing, Miroku left a message that explained their situation. He didn't have to wait long for a response, since a few minutes later Inuyasha was barging in along with Kagome and Shippo. They all looked a little shaken up.

"We have a problem, monk," Inuyasha stared, and Miroku swore his vision went blurry for a moment from the pain in his head. "What is it, Inuyasha? What happened? Is your family alright, Kagome?" he asked, ignoring the pain and standing up. Sango worriedly copied his motion, but felt awkward just standing there, knowing there was nothing she could do.

"They're fine. Our house isn't," the girl glared so hard at Inuyasha that Miroku was shocked the half demon didn't go up in flames. Grumbling, Inuyasha explained, "A low grade demon attacked while we were there. I slayed it, _of course_ , and may have caused some minor damage to the house, but you're all alive aren't ya!" He turned to yell the last part at Kagome, who balled her hands in fists by her head and countered with, "Minor damage?! You tore a hole right through our wall! Do you know how much that's gonna cost to fix?! We own a shrine, not a bank Inuyasha!"

"Ya know, most people say 'thank you' to people who save them!" Inuyasha shouted back, and Miroku sat back down on the sofa and began to rub his temples. "Are you two quite finished? There are more pressing issues at hand here people." Kagome blushed, knowing Inuyasha always got the better of her. She looked away in embarrassment and mumbled a soft, "Sorry," when she noticed Sango and Shippo staring at her with wide eyes.

"Anyway, it wasn't much, but it was still a demon. You know they haven't been openly active like this in five hundred years, Miroku. Something is definitely changing, and I don't like it," Inuyasha explained, crossing his arms in worry. His ponytail was slightly messed up from the small fight he'd put up against the lizard demon, and the bottom of his white tshirt was torn. He watched Miroku sigh, and dreaded the next words to come.

"Well, you're gonna hate me for saying this then. I can confirm that Kohaku was indeed possessed by a demon. One that goes by the name of Naraku." Inuyasha went completely still. He and Miroku locked eyes, and both of them frowned. "We've agreed that it would be in our best interest to seek him out and destroy him," the monk went on to say, speaking on Sango's behalf as well. The girl nodded in confirmation.

Sighing, Inuyasha crossed his arms and then brought one hand up to rub at his forehead. It seemed that Miroku's headache was contagious. "Well, shit," the half dog demon said, and Kagome walked closer to him in worry, Shippo in her arms. "What is it? Who's Naraku?" she asked, and Shippo echoed her with a, "Yeah! Who is that demon? The name sounds kind of familiar, actually…"

"Naraku," Inuyasha answered, ignoring the small fox demon, "Is the demon that cursed Miroku. In order to free him from that nasty right hand of his, we have to kill him." Inuyasha's mind was running a thousand miles a minute right now. Sango's younger brother was possessed by the powerful demon that cursed Miroku's family all those years ago? This made little sense to him, considering all demons residing in Japan have been in hiding or dormant for five hundred years. Why now, of all times, would a powerful demon awaken and strike? And why Sango's town?

"Oh, wow," Kagome mumbled aloud. She sat down on the recliner that was near the door, and let herself process the information. If Sango and Miroku were directly involved with this demon, then that meant that she had no other choice; obviously they would all be searching for this demon. Naraku took out Sango's town this time, but where would he strike next? It was only natural to Kagome that they get rid of him before he could cause anymore damage. "So what's our plan then? When are we leaving and where do we start looking?" she asked, only to get incredulous looks from her friends.

Although she appreciated the help, Sango had to find Kagome's question a little alarming. She couldn't possibly think that she was going with them to slay a demon, could she? Sango herself was nervous, and she spent her entire life training how to fight...now that she thought about it, all the techniques she'd learned had be passed down from generation to generation. If her ancestors were demon slayers, then there was a good chance that Sango had actually been learning how to fight demons. Still, she'd never fought one, except Koga when they were both too early for their classes and wanted something to do to pass time. But that was always in good fun, and something told her that there would be nothing fun about slaying this demon. Kagome shouldn't get involved.

The two men in the room were thinking much the same thing. Miroku knew how to fight, and had a strong spiritual energy. He had exorcised many spirits before; none of the size or nature of Naraku, but he had at least had some practice. Being a half demon gave Inuyasha a great advantage, and he also trained next to Miroku in martial arts as they grew up. But Kagome had none of the above, and just imagining her in the midst of a battle made Inuyasha's chest tighten. He only held the most innocent of concern for the girl, and yet his words came out harshly. "No way, Kagome, you'd be good for nothing in a battle. You'd just get in the way. You and Shippo can stay here until we get back."

The half demon had stuck his nose in the air and looked the opposite direction as he spoke, a stance he often took when he was being stubborn about something. He missed the look of hurt that crossed Kagome's face before she settled her expression with anger. Miroku and Sango didn't, though, and felt bad for her, even if what Inuyasha said was true. It was Shippo who spoke up, his face almost as angry as Kagome's. "Why do I have to stay behind?" he growled in his little kid voice. "I'm a _demon_! I can help!"

"Oh right, I forgot that your stupid fox magic could take down a _five hundred year old powerful demon_ ," Inuyasha yelled the last part of his statement as he bent over to get into Shippo's face. Miroku rolled his eyes deeply, knowing that his best friend was just trying to protect the small demon from any harm. It wasn't Inuyasha's fault that he was born without the capacity to be kind about things. Before Shippo could respond, Miroku stood again, walking over to stand next to the silver haired male.

"Alright, calm down everyone. How about we just give ourselves a night to sleep on it, and figure everything out in the morning? We'll stick to Sango's original plan and leave by the end of the week. Sound good?" he asked, taking charge of the situation as usual. Inuyasha was much too impulsive, and when he upsets her, Kagome becomes much too emotional. The monk was used to taking control around his friends.

"That sounds fine to me, Miroku," Sango said, standing from her position on the sofa and walking over to Kagome. The younger girl still had a frown on her face, but had turned her glare from Inuyasha to the ground. Sango knew Inuyasha's words must have really upset her, and she reached out to tentatively place a hand on Kagome's arm. "Would you mind helping me in the kitchen? I still haven't eaten yet today, and the new rice cooker always gives me a hard time." Kagome agreed quietly and the girls left the room, accompanied by Shippo.

"We leave in the morning," Inuyasha grumbled, sitting on the sofa with an air of annoyance around him. Miroku sighed and shook his head. "Whatever you want, Inuyasha," he told his childhood friend before walking towards the bathroom in search of a damp cloth for his pounding head. Inuyasha watched Miroku leave the room and finally relaxed, feeling free to show his true feelings now that he was alone.

Truth is, the half demon had spent his entire life worried about his friend. He always promised Miroku that they would find this damn demon, but he knew deep down that they probably wouldn't. Inuyasha had always only said those things because if he didn't, Miroku would have thrown his life away on the spot, and stopped living like he had a purpose. When they were young Inuyasha truly believed they would free Miroku of the curse, because, well, they just had to, didn't they? If they tried hard enough, the universe would have to help them out, right? That's how things worked. And Inuyasha refused to give up. But as they grew, so did the hole in Miroku's hand, and the half demon began to worry. Now that the curse had awakened, and the hole was now a wind tunnel, Inuyasha feared for the worst.

But now the demon was active, and he had left a trail: Kohaku. Their desperation mixed with Sango's was bound to lead them to Naraku, and quickly. He just hoped they would get there quickly enough, for their sake and for Sango's. A human boy in the control of a demon did not sit well with the half demon, and he wondered if Kohaku was even still alive. He'd heard that demons often times disposed of the humans they possessed after they were done with them, and if Naraku hadn't attacked anywhere else...Inuyasha just hoped he was worrying for nothing. He leaned forward and took his hair out of it's messy ponytail, letting his ears relax from their stiff position. Leaning back, he rubbed at the scalp around them, and tried to calm down for the time being. Tomorrow would be a whole new kind of hell.

When night time rolled around, Sango felt a kind of anxiety she'd never experienced before. Her chest was tight, but her muscles were relaxed. She could breathe correctly, but still felt light headed. It was like part of her was fine, ready for battle, while the other was nervous and afraid. She idly wondered if this was what her ancestor's felt like before a battle as she helped Miroku push the sofa back a bit. Inuyasha had insisted on everyone sleeping in the same apartment for the night. He said it would make leaving in the morning easier, but everyone secretly knew he just wanted to be closer to Kagome. Well, everyone besides Kagome herself, since she was still too upset about his earlier comments to feel anything other than annoyance towards his actions.

"We're staying the night here," the half demon had said a few moments earlier, barging into their unlocked apartment with his arms full of sheets and pillows. He was clad in gray sweats and a white tshirt, no shoes. Miroku entered in behind him with an apologetic look on his face. Instantly, he'd asked Sango to help him move the sofa to make more room for them to sleep on the floor.

"I'm sorry about this," he whispered to her as they worked. His hair was loose from its usual ponytail and hanging about his face. Sango noticed that his sleep attire was much the same to what he wore to the gym, loose fitting shorts and a baggy tank top. She'd always admired how the lack of sleeves showed off his amazing biceps - _Oh no_ , she thought, beginning to blush. She was just blatantly staring at his arms, and now that she looked back to his face, he was smiling smugly. "I tried to tell Inuyasha that this wasn't necessary, but he wouldn't listen. You know how stubborn he can be," Miroku explained, thankfully sparing her of any teasing.

"It's alright," she said, looking anywhere but his eyes, still feeling the heat of embarrassment on her cheeks. She folded her arms and said, "I think this is a good idea, actually. I do feel a little safer knowing we're all in one place. And since we're leaving first thing in the morning, it does seem appropriate." Sango stepped back, turning away from Miroku to watch Inuyasha lay out all the sheets and pillows. She was about to say goodnight when the half demon looked up at her.

"Hey, where the hell is Kagome? Kind of rude of her not to help us settle in," he critiqued, but he was really just feeling anxious. He wanted to talk to her, to spend one final night making sure she was safe and okay. Because deep down, Inuyasha knew there was a chance one or more of them wouldn't make it back from the battle, and he'd be damned before he let anything happen to Miroku or Sango.

"She just went to wash up before bed," Sango commented with amusement, easily seeing right through the half demon. She bid a goodnight to both boys and left the room, but only after assuring Inuyasha that Kagome would be around to say goodnight soon. The half demon hoped she was right.

Once in bed, Sango found that sleep wouldn't come her way. In her mind, she kept picturing what the fight with this demon might consist of, and the worst that could happen was all she could see. Miroku getting hurt...getting killed, Kohaku...First she imagined that they'd find the demon, and Kohaku would already be dead. Then she pictured that he would be alive, but still possessed, and try to kill her again. With her eyes closed, Sango imagined that she'd have to fight her brother to the death, and they'd both die together, slayed by one another. That wouldn't be so bad...But what if they couldn't do it? What if the three of them - Miroku, Inuyasha, and herself - weren't enough to defeat this demon? What would happen to Kohaku then? Eventually after hours of tossing and turning, Sango's mind finally wore itself out, and she was able to fall into a restless sleep.

The monk suffered in a much similar way. After a few more minutes of waiting, Shippo appeared in the livingroom. Inuyasha had growled at the small demon in annoyance, asking why he wasn't sharing a room with Kagome as he usually did, only to be informed that the human girl had asked Shippo to sleep with the boys. Apparently, she wanted to be alone tonight. That obviously didn't sit well with Inuyasha, who stalked off in the direction of Kagome's bedroom. When he returned, he seemed dejected, and silently laid down in his designated spot on the floor. Miroku figured they'd just shared an emotional goodbye, and decided against prodding his friend any further. After that, Miroku laid awake on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with thoughts of Sango and his cursed fate. He didn't even remember falling asleep.

The next morning was hectic to say the least. Shippo was still complaining about not being able to accompany his friends, and was becoming a bother to Sango, who was diligently trying to cook a good breakfast before they set out. "But Sango! I just want to help," the small demon finally concluded, showing his true feelings through his pout. The girl couldn't help but find his face adorable, and stopped what she was doing to give Shippo her full attention. "I know, but it would be a big help to us if you could stay here and protect Kagome."

"I don't need Shippo to protect me," Kagome said in a flat voice, walking into the kitchen without a warning. Sango blushed, feeling like she'd been caught gossiping. If her response was any clue, Kagome was still upset about Inuyasha's harsh words yesterday, just as Sango suspected. "I'll finish making breakfast, you go on and get ready. You're leaving soon." Kagome wouldn't look either of her friends in the eye, and her voice was so soft Sango was sure she would have missed what her roommate had said if she wasn't standing right next to her.

"Uh, sure Kagome. Thanks," Sango agreed, shrugging at Shippo when he gave her a look as if to say, "What's with her?" As soon as she left the kitchen Sango entered her room and locked the door, something she normally wouldn't do just to change, but since there were men in the house, and one of them happened to be Miroku...well, you could never be too careful. She rummaged through her drawers and quickly found what she was looking for: her battle suit. Though she hadn't worn the form fitting black material in months, it still fit her as perfectly as ever. Sango was still adjusting one of her sleeves as she walked back into the hallway, only to be met by Miroku's wide eyes.

"Is that what you're wearing?" he asked, unable to take his eyes off of her while they walked the short distance to the kitchen, where Kagome had set a table of food. Dressed much more casually than his companion - blue jeans and a black cotton shirt - Miroku was having a hard time processing any coherent thoughts. He was completely caught off guard when he walked out of the bathroom to see Sango in a tight, black getup. It hugged her curves and perfectly accented her petite, round, butt..Sango's hand collided with his face so hard that he was sure it was going to leave a mark. "Pervert!" she shouted, angrily sitting down at the kitchen table so that he could not reach her bottom. Smiling embarrassedly, Miroku shrugged.

"My apologies, Sango. My right hand, it's cursed, you know," he gave as a lame excuse, and sat down across from her, knowing that it was best to just drop this conversation. He'd done pretty well with his groping, he hadn't touched her inappropriately yet. He was only slightly upset with himself for breaking his streak, but the better half of him was too happy to have felt her body for at least a small moment.

"Uh huh, I'm sure," Sango replied dryly, not looking at him while she stuffed some rice into her mouth. She was too upset to notice the cold shoulder Kagome gave Inuyasha when he finally entered the room. As it was, Kagome was being very quiet towards all of them. Miroku caught Sango's eye from across the table, and before she could glare at him he quickly darted his eyes towards Kagome. When she looked over, Sango saw her roommate was standing by the sink, eating her breakfast by herself instead of with them. Was she keeping to herself because she was too upset to see them leave? Sango didn't feel exactly right about leaving Kagome behind, but she couldn't justify taking her with them either. She just hoped Kagome would understand.

The group finished eating quickly, all of them anxious to be on their way. Miroku and Inuyasha each grabbed the backpacks that they'd prepared for their travel the night before, while Sango hurried to leave the room. She returned wearing gray sweat pants and white tshirt, the sleeves of her battle suit showing through the short sleeves of the white cotton on top of it. She too picked up her bag and put it on, asking the men if they were ready to leave.

"Where's the black outfit," Miroku asked, not hiding the disappointment in his voice. Sango wanted to be annoyed, but found herself fighting a smile as she explained, "I wear it under my clothes, stupid. I can't walk around a crowded city in battle gear. Now let's go!" She gave the monk a push towards the door, but he resisted her in good nature. "Let us say goodbye to Kagome before we go."

When Sango turned around, Kagome was standing there with her hands folded behind her back, and her face turned downward. Sango was the first to approach her, and was only slightly surprised when the younger girl instantly pulled her into a tight hug. "Good luck, Sango, fight bravely," Kagome told her, smiling when she pulled away. She said much the same thing to Miroku, and hugged him as well. The room became slightly awkward when Kagome made no move to say goodbye to Inuyasha, who obviously thought he'd get the same treatment as his friends.

"Hello," Inuyasha called to her sarcastically. From his stance by the door, he continued, "Aren't you forgetting something?" He was surprised to see the deep frown on Kagome's face when she looked at him. What had he done this time?

"Goodbye, Inuyasha. I hope you don't get yourself killed," she said harshly, crossing her arms and looking the other way. She couldn't bring herself to give him a real goodbye, and for several reasons. One being that she was still too hurt over his words; he'd said she was good for nothing...could he really mean that? The second reason being that she didn't want to acknowledge that there was a chance that he wouldn't come back. She refused to let this be their final goodbye.

At her words, Inuyasha visibly paled. Why was she being this way? She was usually so sweet, and caring, and he was sure she would cry when saying goodbye to him today... _Whatever_ , he thought, pushing his hurt down deeper. "I won't," he said in response, his teeth clenched. He continued to look at Kagome through narrow eyes while addressing the others. "Come on, let's go. We've got a train to catch." And with that, he opened the door and left. Miroku and Sango shared confused and shocked glances before following his lead.

Miroku was basically glued to Sango's side while they walked to the train station. His right hand itched, but not with pain; their hands were so close that their knuckles brushed from time to time and he wanted so badly to just hold hers. But that felt oddly...intimate, and he knew until this was over he would have to keep up some kind of limit on their relationship. It didn't stop him from wanting it though. Little did he know that Sango shared his feelings, though. At first she felt a bit smothered by his closeness since she wasn't used to having someone hovering over her, but by the time they sat down on the bench at the station to wait for their train, Sango wanted to be wrapped up in his arms. It made her feel a bit strange; she'd never had feelings like this before.

"Aw man, I knew I smelled something gross," Inuyasha said, his face twisting in disgust. Both Sango and Miroku turned to see what he was looking at. Their expressions turned to shock when they saw a certain blue eyed demon slowly approaching them. Koga's gate was slow, like he was bored of life, almost as if he felt he was better than everyone around him, which wouldn't surprise Sango. When he reached them, he lazily crossed his arms and regarded Inuyasha with a blank faced once over. "Yeah, yeah, spare me the insults, 'kay mutt face? I'm here on business. So don't get in my way."

"Business? What business could a lowly wolf like you have?" Inuyasha asked, standing to be face to face with Koga. Miroku quickly jumped up and followed Inuyasha, not wanting him to cause a scene. He would have told his friend to lower his voice, but the people around them seemed to be ignoring them, figuring they were just a group of young people having a normal argument. When the monk turned his head back to the full demon, he noticed a pretty deep frown.

With his voice significantly lower, Koga said, "I hear you're going after Naraku. Five hundred years ago he slaughtered all of my comrades. Only Ginta and Hakkaku remain, out of our entire pack. I swore to myself that I would avenge my pack, even if I had to wait an eternity to get a chance to. I heard about Sango's town, and I did my own research. Something just didn't seem right about the story. Talked to a few demon friends, even spoke with Ayame about it. After hearing everything I could, I didn't have a doubt in my mind. I knew it was him. When I went to your apartment today to talk with you about it, my lovely Kagome told me I'd find you guys here. I took the liberty of buying a ticket too, so it looks like we're travel companions for the time being, mutt. But don't worry, as soon as we figure out where Naraku is hiding, I'm on my own."

"So you're using us for our tracking skills? No way! Do it on your own you lazy wolf," Inuyasha growled, getting into Koga's face. This time a few people turned their heads in the direction of the two men, and Miroku quickly involved himself.

"Calm down, Inuyasha. Be rational. If we're both looking for the same person, we're bound to be walking the same path anyway. Why not let him join us? This way we can keep an eye on him, too, and make sure he doesn't get to Naraku before we do."

"Fine, but I don't like it," Inuyasha grumbled, crossing his arms and turning toward his best friend in a jerking motion. Miroku sighed, feeling a little relieved. At least for now, Inuyasha would be civil. He turned to speak more with Koga and try to lay down some ground rules, but saw the demon wasn't there. Looking to his right, Miroku saw that Koga had taken his stop on the bench next to Sango. A little piece of his inside shriveled up, seeing that they were in a deep conversation. The monk tried to be calm about it, they were coworkers after all, maybe they were discussing work. Inuyasha caught sight of his friends face and followed his gaze. Smirking, the half demon said, "Not so funny when it's your girl, huh?"

Sango had looked up when Koga plopped himself down next to her. He leaned back and folded his hands together behind his head. Looking at him now, it was hard to believe he was a demon. He wore canvas sneakers and skinny jeans, a white tshirt that had a few holes and stains at the bottom, and a worn out black hoodie. He was nothing spectacular, and yet he had this air around him, and aura like, that made him seem so strong and able. Sango blushed when she realized she was staring. Koga glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, not even bothering to turn his head. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Hello," she responded politely. She glanced in the direction he had come from and frowned in confusion. "I don't mean to pry, but where are Ginta and Hakkaku?" Sango hadn't ever seen Koga without those two on his tail...quite literally, she guessed. Had he told them to stay away from the battle? They did seem pretty weak compared to him…

"Oh those two?" Koga asked, scratching his cheek like he had honestly forgotten about them. Sango wouldn't be surprised if he had. Ginta and Hakkaku seemed to worship Koga, but he didn't seem to feel the same about them. "Yeah, I called and told them about the whole Naraku thing. They'll be here. They're always so slow, ya know? If they don't catch me here, they'll be waiting at the next train stop."

"Oh," Sango agreed just as Miroku walked over and took a seat on the other side of her. He was sitting much closer to her than he was before, and she wondered what was wrong with him. Sango didn't want to embarrass him, though, so she discretely moved over a little to give herself more space. She noticed that Miroku seemed to slump forward a bit when she did, and only felt a little bad. Inuyasha stayed standing a few feet away from them until the train came and they all piled in. Of course, Sango and Miroku sat next to each other, with Inuyasha across from them. Koga sat a few seats away, thankfully.

"Are you nervous?" Miroku whispered to Sango. He didn't want Inuyasha to hear them talking, knowing the more people listening, the braver Sango would pretend to be. He could already tell that she was nervous, he was asking more for the opportunity to comfort her than anything. Shrugging, Sango gave him the answer of, "A little."

That caused Miroku to smile. Sango was always so strong. He'd been with a lot of women in his life, and although there was a wide variety of physical appearances that he was attracted to, he was never mentally attracted to any of them. They were all too fragile, and none of them knew how to stand their ground or defend themselves in any way. Sango though, she was his equal - hell, she was even better than him. And he found himself chasing the challenge. "Don't be," he said in a hushed tone. "You're stronger than anyone I know, Sango; I have faith in you." The relieved look on her face was enough of a reward for Miroku. The rest of the train ride to the next station was quiet. If only that quiet could last…

At the next station the doors on each train cart opened, allowing passengers in and out. Of course, Sango and the others stayed put. A few people left, even more shuffled in. Amongst them was an out of breath Ginta and Hakkaku. "Koga!" Ginta said, walking over to sit with his friend, Hakkaku right behind him. "We left once we got your message, but the car broke down, so we had to catch the train by foot."

"Yeah, we're exhausted!" Hakkaku agreed, throwing himself down into a seat next to Ginta. Koga frowned at how lame his comrades continued to be, even after all these years. Still, he was a wolf, and he was loyal to his pack no matter what. "Glad you could make it," he grumbled, closing his eyes in slight annoyance. Those same eyes snapped open when he got a whiff of the scent that was nearing the train, and it seemed Inuyasha had the same reaction.

Kagome stepped onto the train in a pair of black yoga pants and a white tshirt, something she would never be caught wearing. She was usually decked out on skirts or dresses, and she definitely would not be wearing those dirty old sneakers she had on. She'd also brought along her old school bag, and a...bow?

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called in an annoyed tone, causing many of the passengers to look at him. He didn't seem to notice or care, and went on speaking. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay out of this. And where's Shippo? You know you can't leave him all alone!"

"I'm right here, Inuyasha!" Shippo's boyish voice was heard, and he peaked out from behind Kagome with his concealment charm on. Kagome gave a curt "Hm" and otherwise ignored the half demon, only making him more upset. Seeing her ignore the half breed gave Koga the idea that he'd have a chance with Kagome today, or at least the chance to annoy the hell out of the mutt. "Hey Kagome! There's an empty seat next to me if you wanna sit down." Smiling, the girl graciously took the offer and asked the demon how he'd gotten involved. Suddenly, they were deep into conversation.

Inuyasha was pissed. It's not like he told Kagome to stay home for his own health - it was her he was looking out for! Didn't she see that? Did she live solely to upset him? "So you gonna answer me or what? What are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked again, trying very hard not to growl at the sight of her next to that wolf.

Watching from across the isle, Sango felt that it might be best to intervene. "Kagome," she spoke up, her voice hesitant. She didn't want to offend her friend and end up in the same boat as Inuyasha. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you, it's just that I thought we all agreed it would be safer for you if you stayed home?"

"Yes, what brings you here?" Miroku agreed, giving Kagome a confused expression. He thought that maybe if she had a good reason that Inuyasha might calm down. He knew his friend was probably having a silent anxiety attack right now, and Koga's smug expression wasn't making matters any better.

Kagome paused. "Well," she said, suddenly feeling dumb. She should have just stayed home, but…

" _Kagome, what's the matter?" grandpa asked her in his grainy old voice. Kagome was currently sitting at their table, a cup of tea in front of her. She'd thought that if she visited her home it would take her mind of things, but it didn't help at all. In fact, it made her miss Inuyasha even more._

" _Oh grandpa," Kagome said, her eyes welling with tears. She'd been so foolish! "Inuyasha and the others left to slay a demon. He's supposed to be a strong one, the one that cursed Miroku's family. What if they don't come back? I didn't say goodbye...I was so stupid…"_

 _Her grandfather stilled with fear. "Slay a demon?" They went after Naraku? Such foolish children they were! He knew they would need Kagome, even if they didn't see it yet. "Kagome, take the quiver of sacred arrows from the shed. Take your bow, and go find them. They need you! Now go!"_

Kagome never heard her grandpa speak in such a tone, and she knew in her gut he was right. She needed to be here. It's just that, she had no way of proving that to the others, especially Inuyasha who so badly wanted her to stay away. Still, she couldn't sit back and do nothing. Setting her jaw in determination, she said, "My grandfather told me I should help you guys. He told me to use our sacred arrows. It'll help with the demon."

"Arrows? Do you know archery?" Sango asked. The whole time she lived with the girl she'd never seen a bow or a single arrow around the apartment. And that was such an outdated weapon to use, especially against a demon. She couldn't be serious, could she?

"Oh yes!" Kagome said, and finally her usual smile was back. She brought a hand up to hold close to her face, and lifted her first finger. "I've been practicing for years, I even won the title of number one master archer in all of Japan a few years ago. Isn't that funny? I didn't even think I was that good."

But Inuyasha knew she was that good. She'd been practicing since the day they'd met, when they were just fifteen.

 _Inuyasha roamed around the courtyard of this shrine while he waited for the monks to finish speaking with the priest. These visits always bored him, and he hated when he had to tag along. Nothing phased Miroku though, he just ran off to find any pretty girl around that he could, but that didn't interest the half demon either. Inuyasha stopped short when he saw a girl around his age standing not too far from him. She was wearing a green skirt and a white blouse, obviously a school uniform, and in her hands she held a bow and arrow. Now this was interesting. A target was marked high up on a near by tree._ Let's see if she can hit it, _he thought._

 _Kagome felt the eyes of the cute, silver haired boy on her. She'd watched as he entered in with the monks and quickly hid herself inside the house. She wasn't ready for company, she'd just returned home from school, she was still in her uniform even! On his way out to meet the monks, her grandpa had forced her to practice her archery again, though, so she dejectedly obliged. Now, with the bow held tightly in her one hand, she used the other to pull the arrow back and shoot._ Please make it, _she silently begged, and mortifyingly watched the arrow miss the target horrifically._

" _What the hell was that?" Inuyasha asked the girl, feeling let down by her lack of skill. She shouldn't look that cool with a bow if she didn't know how to use it properly. He was taken back when an intense glare was thrown his way._

" _I can't concentrate when you're watching me like that!" she yelled across the short distance between them, and Inuyasha smirked._

" _What? Do I make you nervous or somethin'?"_

"I don't care about your stupid sacred arrows, Kagome, I asked you to stay home," Inuyasha said, trying to stay calm. His heart was racing; thoughts of Kagome getting hurt and him being helpless were flooding his mind. Koga could sense Inuyasha's uneasiness, and though he'd love to take advantage of it, he kept quiet. He too was nervous about this. Kagome was much too precious to the both of them.

"Well I didn't! You'll just have to put up with me following you around," Kagome responded stubbornly, clutching her bow tighter in her hands. Inuyasha scooted forward a bit and turned to look at her. Kagome was shocked by the intensity of his eyes.

"You think I care about you following me around? Hell, follow me into the bathroom for all I care! That's not the problem here, Kagome! The problem is the fact that you'll be in danger and I might not be able to protect you. What if I'm battling someone, and someone else attacks you while my hands are full? We don't know what we're up against here, you should have stayed home!"

A gasp left her lips, and Kagome sat back, a bit awestruck by Inuyasha's outburst. "You just...don't want me hurt?" she asked quietly, still confused about it herself. She knew Inuyasha would never come right out and say things like that, so she must have really pushed his buttons. Kagome couldn't believe she didn't realize his true intentions sooner.

"Of course stupid! Do I have to spell everything out for you?" Inuyasha grumbled, looking away. Kagome's eyes made him do weird things, like confess feelings he wasn't ready to confess, so he thought it best to break eye contact.

"Inuyasha, Kagome does come from a long line of people with spiritual powers. The sacred arrows might actually help us. There's enough of us here to protect her, it's not all on you. I think she should stay," Miroku commented. He knew a few things about Kagome that Inuyasha didn't, just from speaking to the monks over the years. There was a chance Kagome had a hidden well of spiritual power within her, and they might actually need that in order to defeat Naraku. And he knew that with Inuyasha and Koga around, along with the others, Kagome would be well protected. Plus, she'd seemed so hurt to be left behind…

"Fine," Inuyasha snapped. _Leave it to the stupid monk to go against his own best friend,_ he thought. "But if something happens to her it's on you."

Miroku only smiled, knowing his best friend would never let anything happen to the girl he loved. After that, Kagome quietly spoke with Ginta and Hakkaku, and the rest of them sat in silence, preparing themselves for what laid ahead.

They'd decided that morning that the obvious plan would be to go back to Sango's home and see if Naraku had left any trail of himself behind. Sango didn't know what she expected coming back to her hometown, but she'd tried to mentally prepare herself as much as she could. The station closest to her town was the last stop, and from there they'd had to walk on foot for awhile. Kagome had taken her bike with her to the train station, so she carried Shippo in her basket while they walked. When they finally arrived, Sango knew everyone was being as polite as possible and letting her make the first move. Even Koga seemed to understand how hard this was for her.

She took a few steps into the still ashy street and let her eyes roll over her burned town. Sango forced the lump in her throat away. "This is it. Feel free to look around, I'm going to go get something," she said, her voice only a little raspy. She got halfway down the street before she noticed Miroku beside her. "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked with sincerity, and Sango actually welcomed the company. She hated being alone here. These streets were supposed to be filled with people, with family, it made her bones ache that she was the only one walking down the street now. But Miroku helped to ease the pain she felt.

Smiling, Sango said, "Not at all. In fact, I think you'll like what I'm about to go find." Awhile ago, Miroku had told her he wasn't sure what she'd meant when she said her specialty was weapons. He was about to find out. On the edge of town, there was an old shed. Inside held all the ancient weapons her family owned, the ones that were passed down from each generation the the next. When they reached the shed, he opened the door for her, and she stepped inside.

"Wow," Miroku said. When he looked around he saw a plethora of ancient weapons. From the looks of them, they dated back to the feudal era, maybe even older. And they were all made of demon bones. "Amazing. Sango, these are the weapons you usually train with?" Miroku asked, his voice filled with wonder, which pleased the woman.

"Not all of them, just this one," she said, taking a human sized boomerang off of a shelf. Sango stroked it fondly while explaining, "It's called hiraikotsu. I've trained with it since I was very young. My father gave it to me."

"Ah," Miroku said, wondering if Sango had any idea of the power that her weapon held. Nevertheless, he admired her in awe. She didn't even know the power she herself had. They stepped out of the shed to be met with their entire group. And they didn't seem happy. Inuyasha looked directly at Miroku, but Koga, who was standing next to him, seemed to find his eyes caught by the hiraikotsu. He tapped his knuckle against the boomerang and nodded.

"Huh," he said in an impressed tone. "Hefty demon bone you got there Sango. Pretty badass if I say so myself."

Sango looked at him in confusion, and then down at her weapon. "Huh?" she asked, but stopped herself from asking any further questions. She'd never been able to figure out what the hiraikotsu was made of, certainly not any material they had around now. And it had been passed down from her ancestors. "Oh," she said meekly, just accepting the fact that her beloved weapon was once a living, breathing, demon.

"There's no sign of Naraku. There's a faint scent, but the trail ends abruptly, there's nothing here," Inuyasha informed the two in a gruff tone. He was obviously annoyed and disappointed. Miroku had known it wouldn't be that easy to trace a five hundred year old demon who knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't giving up hope, though.

"Alright," Miroku agreed, surprising Inuyasha with his light tone. He wrapped a hand around Sango's wrist, effectively getting her attention. "Sango, how about we stop for lunch? Then we can continue searching the areas around here. Eventually, we have to find something."

Sango felt her chest tighten with a pleasant feeling. She was relieved to find that Miroku respected her so much, and asked her permission on what to do next. Quickly agreeing with him, Sango led the group towards her house, the only one that survived the fire. There, they could eat the lunches they'd packed themselves, and create a new plan. She knew the surrounding woods pretty well, and assured Inuyasha that she would be able to lead them around the grounds. While they were having their meal though, he perked up, and Sango could see his ears moving from inside his ponytail. Koga shared one look with him before they both stood up.

"There's a demonic aura coming from the edge of the town. Let's go," Inuyasha said, waiting only long enough for everyone to stand before dashing out of the house. When the group reach the edge of town Inuyasha stopped, and signaled for them to do the same. The aura was getting closer, Sango realized, the demon was coming to them. Suddenly, there was a rustling of the bushes and shrubs near the border of the town, and a man appeared.

Sango gasped, and heard Kagome and Miroku do the same. The man had on what appeared to Sango as traditional clothing, probably from the feudal era or sometime around then. The upper half of him was covered in a sort of strange armor she'd never seen before. But that wasn't the shocking thing. What was particularly striking to her and the others was that he had the same silver hair as Inuyasha, just longer, and the same shade of golden eyes. They looked so much alike, they could be cousins or even brothers. But Inuyasha had never mentioned to Sango that he had any siblings, in fact he was raised alongside Miroku, an orphan. So who was this guy?

Inuyasha seemed to be having the same reaction and angrily asked, "Who the hell are you?" The man's face stayed blank and he remained silent for a few moments, his eyes never leaving Inuyasha. This seemed to piss the half demon off even more, and he cracked his knuckles. "I'll ask you once more, who the hell are you? Tell me before I rip that blank face off your body!"

Finally, the demon chose to speak. The words that left his mouth shocked everyone, Inuyasha included.

"Do you really not remember me, _little brother_?"

AN: Yes, I chose to end this on a cliffhanger :) LOVE YOU GUYS


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